IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


V' 


^ 


^ 


// 


y 


« 


t/.. 


1.0 


I.I 


2.5 


'"  IM    |||||Z2 

"  itf   IIIIIM 


1.8 


1.25      1.4       1.6 

—     =^ 

^ 6"   

► 

% 


r%         >^ 


/.^ 


V 


.0^ 


/^ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


V 


lV 


<F 


^\ 


A^ 


c^ 


O' 


<^ 


^1> 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibiiographiquaa 


1 
t 


Tha  Instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 


D 


D 
D 
D 
D 
□ 


Colourad  covars/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I      I   Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommag6e 


Covars  restorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurte  at/ou  pallicul6a 


n~|   Cover  title  missing/ 


D 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gtographlques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  pf  it  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAas 
lors  d'  ire  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  tela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  M  film^es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmantairas: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  la  meilleur  examplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  axemplaira  qui  sont  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mtthoda  normala  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachaties  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachdes 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  material  supplimantaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      I  Pages  damaged/ 

I      I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I      I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

|~~|  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


1 

f 
c 
f 


C 

fa 

tJ 
s 

0 

fi 

s 
a 


1 
s 
T 

V 

d 

e 

3 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refiimed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  At*  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fa9on  6 
obtenir  lu  meilieure  image  possible. 


m 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  da  reduction  indlqu*  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


2SX 


32X 


is 

u 

ifier 

ie 

ige 


The  copy  filmed  here  hee  been  reproduced  thenics 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Dougiss  Library 
Queen's  University 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quaiity 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  ere  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  Illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  bacit  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


L'exemplaire  fllmA  fut  reproduit  grice  A  la 
gAnArositA  de: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  M  reproduites  avec  Ie 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  evec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  origlnaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  ImprlmAe  sont  filmte  en  commengent 
par  Ie  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d 'illustration,  soit  par  Ie  second 
plat.  »eion  Ie  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
origi'iaux  sont  f  llmAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iiiustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboies  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernlAre  imege  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  Ie 
cas:  Ie  symbols  — »-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  Ie 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  I'engle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bes,  en  prenent  Ie  nombre 
d'images  nAcesseire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


rata 

D 


>elure. 

I  A 


3 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

t 

4 

i 

§ 

(^rnttxB  Utittterattg 
Htbrarg 


KINGSTON,  ONTARIO 


2d  8e$9ion, 


1    Ko.  35. 


}t70  U 

MANAGEMENT  OP  INDIANS  IN  BRITISH  AMERICA. 


REPORT 


ON  TfiB 


MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  INDIANS  IN  BRITISH  NORTH 
AMERICA  BY  THE  BRITISH  GOVERNMENT. 


January  27, 1870. — ^Presented  by  Mr.  Clarke,  from  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs, 
oi'dered  to  be  printed,  and  recommitted  to  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs. 


f 


Departsient  of  State, 

Wmhington,  January  21,  1870. 

Sm :  Referring  to  the  coniiuunication  addressed  to  you  from  this  de- 
partment, under  date  of  April  14  last,  in  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  8th 
of  the  same  month,  requesting  that  our  (;onsul  at  Fort  Erie  be  instructed 
to  inquire  into  and  report  upon  the  treatment  of  the  Indians  within  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  their  present  condition  and  the  iueans  employed 
to  bring  them  into  habits  of  civilization,  I  have  the  honor  now  to  in- 
close you  the  report  of  Mr.  F.  N.  Blake,  at  that  time  United  States  con- 
sul at  Fort  Erie,  but  now  holding  that  oflftce  at  Hamilton,  Ontario. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

HAMILTON  FISH. 
Hon.  Sidney  Clarke, 

Chairman  of  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs^ 

House  of  Representatives. 


Consulate  of  the  United  States, 

Hamilton^  Ontario^  January  6,  1870. 

Sir  :  According  to  the  Instructions  issued  from  the  Department  of 
State,  in  compliance  with  a  request  from  the  Hon.  Sidney  Clarke,  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Aftairs  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, I  have  the  honor  to  submit  a  repoii;  on  the  condition  and  treat- 
ment of  the  Indians  in  British  North  America,  and  tiie  means  used  to 
bring  them  successfiilly  into  the  habits  of  civilization. 

During  the  wars  between  the  French  and  English  in  Canada,  the 
aborigines  were  freely  employed  on  both  sides ;  but  since  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  Provinces  by  Great  Britain,  the  Indians  have  not  only  kept 
the  peace  toward  the  government  under  which  they  live,  bat  have  been 
its  faithftd  allies  in  war,  and  abstained  from  violence  among  themselves. 

It  is  now  also  an  established  ^^l*^^!*^  Indians  ot  Canada  have 


[AKAOEMENT  bF 


passed  through  the  most  critical  era  of  transition  from  barbarism  to 
civilization ;  and  the  assimilation  o2"  their  habits  to  those  of  the  white 
race  is  so  far  from  tlireatening  their  gradual  extinction  that  it  is  produc- 
ing results  directly  opposite. 

The  official  reports  of  the  government,  published  in  1869  and  many 
previous  years,  furnish  cautious  but  deliberate  and  concurrent  testimony 
to  beneficial  progress  in  the  modes  of  life  of  the  Indians  in  Ontario  and 
Quebec,  the  provinces  where  they  are  most  numerous.  One  of  the  most 
positive  indications  on  this  point  is  their  numerical  increase  during  the 
last  quarter  of  a  century. 

Kecent  evidence  as  to  this  w  ill  be  found  in  the  tabular  statement  an- 
nexed hereto,  (see  Appendix  A,)  showing,  during  the  last  year,  addi- 
tions to  their  population  i. .  tw^-ity-one  of  the  settlements,  and  a  de- 
crease only  in  five.  In  every  i-ance  of  diminution  the  amount  is  in- 
significant, except  in  that  of  the  Manitoulin  Island;  and  inquiry  has  fully 
satisfied  me  that  migration,  and  not  mortality,  is  the  cause  of  the  ap- 
parent decrease  in  it.  The  diminution  in  the  other  four  tribes  is  in  the 
aggregate  only  twenty-three  in  the  number  of  indivitlv  als.  Each  of 
these  tribes  are  so  small  as  to  compel  frequent  intermaiTiages,  and  thus 
induce  disease  ;  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  migration,  and  ab- 
sorption into  the  white  race,  have  taken  place  to  an  extent  sufficient  to 
counterbalance  the  deficiencies. 

In  the  first  step  from  the  original  condition  of  the  Indians,  tlu3  disap- 
pearance of  the  larger  animals  on  which  they  depend  for  food  and 
clothing  brings  constant  privation,  and  frecpient  famine.  Even  when 
not  entirely  ignorant  of  the  methods  of  gaining  a  livelihood  by  agri- 
cultural and  pastoral  pursuits,  their  ancient  and  hereditary  hiibits  ren- 
der them  averse  to  the  patient  toil  they  have  been  accustomed  to  regard 
as  dishonorable.  The  temptations  and  discouragement  they  encounter 
at  this  period  render  them  an  easy  prey  to  vi(!es,  which  not  only  fur- 
ther demoralize,  but  lead  them  to  physical  destruction. 

As  the  Canadian  tribes  have  escaped  from  the  sutleiings  of  the  state 
of  transition,  have  ceased  to  wander  as  destitute  Pariahs  on  the  borders 
of  the  civilization  to  which  they  were  aliens,  and  have  located  on  farms, 
the  natural  result  of  enjoying  substantial  habitations,  comfortable 
clothing,  and  jiroper  food,  in  sufficient  (quantities,  has  been  to  render 
epidemics  less  frecpient,  and  less  fatal,  and  to  check  the  ravages  of  con- 
sumption, and  febrile  attacks  conse<iuent  ui)on  the  severe  hardships 
and  despondency  necessarily  exi)erienced,  when  former  means  of  sub- 
sistence have  been  h)st  and  no  others  have  been  gained. 

Another  prominent  reason  for  an  increase  instead  of  a  diminution  in 
the  number  of  these  Indians  is  the  provision  made  for  adecpmte  medi- 
cal attendance  upon  them,  by  which  they,  to  a  considerable  extent,  es- 
cape the  sacrifice  of  life  consequent  upon  contagious  and  other  diseases 
induced  by  proximity  to  our  own  race.  It  is  the  i>ractice  of  the  govern- 
mental department  having  the  various  tribes  in  charge,  to  require  com- 
petent medical  practitioners,  at  periods  siifficiently  near  each  other,  to 
make  so  general  a  vaccination  as  to  leave  little  room  for  fear  of  the  vis- 
itations of  small-pox,  by  which  formerly  whole  families  were  sometimes 
swept  away. 

From  year  to  year  the  progress  of  civilization  has  long  continued  to 
advance.  In  various  parts  of  the  newer  regions  of  Canada,  Indians 
for  whose  benefit  lands  have  been  set  apart  are  evincing  an  increased 
desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  becoming  settled,  and 
they  appreciate  the  establishment  of  schools  as  an  additional  induce- 
ment lor  occupying  permauent  homes.    Education  is  prized  among 


ol 


them,  because,  am^iig  other  results,  it  tends  to  lessen  the  sense  of  infe- 
riority they  feel  when  in  company  with  whites ;  and  some  of  the  native 
tribes  have  been  so  anxious  to  secure  its  benefits  for  their  children  that 
they  have  voluntarily  taxed  themselves  for  the  purpose  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  under  other  circumstances  would  seem  incommensurate  with 
their  incomes. 

LTudoubtedly  the  desire  for  education,  an<l  other  favorable  indications 
among  the  lo'^'ans,  are,  in  a  considerable  degree,  owing  to  the  clergy 
who  minister  among  them,  and  exercise  their  influence  for  the  repression 
of  intemperance  and  vice  Jind  the  promotion  of  industry  and  good  order. 
But  moral  influence  alone  would  have  proved  unavailing.  Tlie  govern- 
ment of  their  country  has  felt  a  just  sense  of  the  res|)onsibility  devolved 
upon  it ;  has  seen  the  necessity  of  treating  the  Indians  temporarily  as 
wards  or  minors;  has  assumed  a  friendly  and  painstaking  guardianship 
over  them,  and  seems  practically  to  have  adopted  the  principle  that 
whatever  may  have  been  the  original  stipulation  in  purchasing  their 
lands,  the  proper  measure  of  compensation  is  to  place  and  nmintain 
them  in  such  a  condition  that  they  may,  if  [)ossible,  as  the  ultinutte  re- 
sult of  their  own  exertions,  enjoy  advantages  at  least  equal  to  those  of 
their  former  state. 

Among  the  various  Indian  tribes  of  the  Dominion  are  to  be  found 
some  yet  representing  the  origifial  barbarism,  Avliile  others  are  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  the  European  race,  either  in  person  or  habits.  In 
other  cliaracteristics  they  jilso  present  marked  distinctions.  Thus,  in 
complying  with  my  instructions  to  report  as  to  their  condition,  I  have 
found  it  necessary  to  describe,  as  briefly  as  [)()ssible,  the  chief  nations  or 
comnuiiiities  among  them,  as  well  as  to  state  the  laws  and  influences  lo 
whicli  all  of  them  are  subjected. 

THE  SIX  NATIONS. 


Of  all  the  tribes  or  bands  of  Indians  in  Canada,  the  confederation 
known  as  the  "  Six  Nations  of  the  (Irnnd  River,"  contains  the  largest 
population.  Tlieir  historical  celebrity  began  with  the  earliest  exjdora- 
tions  of  the  Hudson  Kiver,  and  their  present  advanced  condition  also 
invests  them  with  peculiar  interest.  In  1808  their  numbers  were  2,790, 
and  they  annually  increase.  Tliey  consist  of  portions  of  the  kindreti 
nations  of  the  Mohawks,  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and  Oneidas, 
wlio  once  inhabited  the  valleys  on  the  rivers  and  lakes  of  Central  New 
York,  inchuling  the  Mohawk  an<l  (xonesee;  and  were  so  powerful  a  con 
feder.icy  that  they  not  only  overran  the  region  afterwards  known  as 
Upper  Canada,  but  carried  their  wjirs  far  an<l  wide  into  the  western 
praiHes.  Their  young  men  tested  their  bravery  and  endurance  by  ex- 
peditions against  tribes  occupying  remote  southern  regions,  and  partic- 
ularly against  the  Cherokees,  whom  they  esteemed  as  foenuMi  especially 
worthy  of  their  best  efforts. 

To  the  five  nations  already  enumerated  have  been  added  the  Tuscaro- 
ras,  who,  although  at  an  early  i)eriod  they  migrated  to  North  Carolina,  are 
shown  by  tradition  and  language  to  be  of  the  same  original  stock,  and, 
when  driven  from  their  southern  hunting  grounds  were  admitted  into 
the  confederacy,  which  from  that  time  ceased  to  be  ''  the  Five,"  and  was 
called  '^  the  Six  Nations." 

These  Indians,  now  residing  on  the  Grand  River,  are  the  representa- 
tives and  descendants  of  those  aborigines  of  whom  De  Witt  Clinton  said 
that  they  were  peculiarly  and  extraordinarily  distinguished  by  "  great 
attainments  in  polity,  in  negotiation,  in  eloquence,  and  in  war."    They 


TlS!SESm^^^SDi!S^^mrriS^ASSSci: 


form  the  organization  wliicb,  eighty  years  before  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, held  up  their  union  as  a  political  model  to  the  English  colonies. 

I  deemed  the  present  condition  of  tliese  Indians  worthy  of  close  in- 
vestigation. Every  facility  for  obtaining  information  regarding  them 
was  cheerfully  attbrded  by  their  courteous  "  visiting  superintendent/' 
Mr.  J.  F.  Gilkison  ;  and,  in  company  with  him,  1  visited  their  principal 
school  and  was  present  at  one  of  their  councils. 

In  the  treaty  with  the  United  States,  at  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  Great  Britain  made  no  stipulation  in  behalf  of  her  Indian 
allies  ;  and  "  the  ancient  country  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  residence  of  their 
ancestors  from  a  time  far  beyond  their  earliest  traditions,  was  included 
within  the  boundaries  granted  to  the  Americans ;"  but  official  pledges 
had  been  given,  that  as  soon  as  hostilities  were  at  an  end  they  should 
be  restored,  at  the  expense  of  the  government,  to  the  condition  they 
were  in  before  the  war  began. 

On  behalf  of  his  tribe,  (Japtain  Brant,  the  celebrated  Mohawk  chief, 
whose  fame  has  become  historical  and  is  perpetuated  in  the  name  of  the 
pleasant  and  flourishing  town  of  Brantford,  refused  offers  to  reside  in 
the  United  States,  and  claimed  from  General  Haldimand,  then  com- 
mander-in-chief in  Canada,  the  fultillment  of  the  pledges.  The  warrior 
was  received  with  ample  cordiality,  and  first  selected  a  tract  of  land 
near  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  in  the  bay  of  Quinte,  where  six 
bundled  and  eighty-three  Mohawks,  who  are  prosperous  and  whose  num- 
bers are  increasing,  now  reside. 

The  Senecas,  yfho  intended  to  remain  in  the  United  States,  became 
apprehensive  that  their  troubles  had  not  terminated,  and  were  exceed- 
ingly desirous  that  the  Mohawks  should  reside  so  near  as  to  assist 
them,  if  necessary,  by  force  of  arms,  or  to  afford  them  an  asylum  if 
they  should  find  it  needful.  Under  these  circumstances.  Captain  Brant 
re(i nested  permission  to  have  another  and  more  convenient  territory, 
and  ultimately  selected  the  country  on  the  Grand  River,  flowing  fi'om 
tlie  north  into  Lake  Erie,  about  forty  miles  above  Buffalo,  as  a  suitable 
location  for  maintaining  a  ready  intercourse  with  the  residue  of  the  Six 
Nations,  and  as  affording  facilities  for  corresponding  with  the  nations 
and  tribes  of  the  ui)per  lakes. 

The  result  was  a  fornml  grant,  from  the  Crown,  of  the  land,  to  the 
brejidth  of  six  miles  on  each  side  of  the  Grand  River,  beginning  at 
Lake  Erie  and  extending  in  that  jiroportion  to  the  head  of  the  stream, 
and  this  "  the  Mohawks  and  others  of  the  Six  Nations,  who  had  either 
lost  their  possessions  in  the  war  or  wished  to  retire  from  them  to  the 
British,  were  to  enjoy  forever."  The  land  was  purchased  from  the  Chip- 
pewas.  The  course  of  the  river  is  about  one  hundred  miles,  so  that  the 
territory  was  that  extent  in  length  and  twelve  miles  in  width.  It  is  a 
pleasantly  undulated  and  exceedingly  fertile  region.  The  historian  of 
the  i)eriod  says :  "  This  tract,  though  much  smaller  than  liiey  had  been 
obliged  to  forsake,  within  the  United  States,  amply  satisfied  these 
loyal  Indians." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York  manifested  a  desire  to  expel  the  Six  Nations.  No  doubt  this  con- 
tributed to  increase  the  number  of  emigrants  to  the  Grand  River,  al- 
though, in  1784,  the  State,  urged  by  Generals  Washington  and  Schuy- 
ler, who  thought  the  proposed  iK)licy  was  injudicious,  inhunmn  and  un- 
just, and  that  "  a  veil  should  be  drawn  over  the  past,  and  these  child- 
ren of  the  forest  should  be  taught  that  their  true  interest  and  safety 
must  henceforward  depend  upon  the  cultivation  of  amicable  relations 


I  Rt'volu- 
loiiies. 
i^Iose  iii- 
iig  them 
endent," 
[principal 

He  vol  u- 
T  Indian 
eoftlieir 
included 

pledgees 
y  should 
ion  they 

vk  chief, 
le  of  the 
eside  in 
en  com- 
warrior 
of  land 
liere  six 
)se  nuni- 

hecanie 
exceed- 

0  assist 
iylnm  if 
n  IJiant 
■rritory, 
1^"  from 
iuitable 
the  Six 
nations 

to  the 
ling  at 
tream, 

1  either 
to  the 

e  Chip- 
lat  the 
It  is  a 
rian  of 
d  been 
these 

f  New 
is  cou- 
er,  al- 
k'huy- 
id  un- 
child- 
safety 
atiou8 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 

with  the  United  States,"  ultimately  secured  all  the  Six  Nations  in  the 
possession  of  the  lands  they  were  then  occupying. 

Cai)tain  Brant  soon  saw  that  the  attractions  of  the  fertile  region  he 
had  selected  would  be  appreciated  by  the  white  man,  who  would  make 
settlements  around  it,  and  thus  drive  the  Indians  from  the  condition  of 
hunters  to  that  of  farmers.  As  a  compensation  for  the  loss  of  the  same, 
he  recommended  sales  of  a  portion  of  the  land,  so  that  a  fund  might  be 
raised  for  the  immediate  benefit  of  his  people,  who  m^ght  thus  also 
secure  a  perpetual  revenue.  As  his  opinions  were  auopted  by  the 
Indians,  they,  in  1798,  surrendered  352,707  acres,  which  were  then  sold 
for  £44,867,  in  accordance  with  the  desire  of  the  Indians  themselves, 
the  government  having  sanctioned  the  measure  on  the  conviction  that 
it  would  be  beneficial  to  them. 

Other  sales  have  been  made,  until  the  reservation  contains  ubout 
53,000  acres. 

Several  of  these  Indians  are  now  good  farmers,  and  conduct  their 
operations  on  a  large  scale,  (lenendly,  the  members  of  these  nations 
are  well  supplied  with  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  and  swine,  and  have  com- 
fortable habitations.  Some  are  content  to  live  very  i)lainly ;  but,  al- 
though they  do  not  usually  farm  so  well  as  the  white  freeholders  around 
them,  their  condition  is  much  better  than  that  of  the  poor  whites  in 
large  cities ;  and  all  testimony  concurs  in  saying  that  they  have  made 
decidedly  ai)i)reciable  progress  in  agriculture  within  the  last  few  years. 

In  going  to  their  council-house  1  met  several  load^  of  grain  en  route 
to  the  Brantford  market,  and  owned  by  Indians ;  and  a  considerable 
surplus  was  this  year  raised  for  sale.  On  the  whole,  although  much 
remains  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  improvement,  these  Indians  are  un- 
equivocally in  comfortable  and  independent  circumstances. 

By  slow  degrees  the  old  taste  or  passion  for  hunting  and  fishing,  usu- 
ally believed  to  be  instinctive  and  ineradicable  in  the  Indian,  is  (lying 
away.  1  was  assured  on  reliable  authority  that  the  influence  of  settled 
habits  and  comfortable  homes  is  so  great  that  most  of  the  young  men 
have  now  no  more  inclination  t'ov  the  chase  than  is  found  among  those 
of  the  same  age  in  our  own  race. 

Several  of  these  Intlians  are  carpenters  and  shoemakers,  and  there 
are  some  tailors  and  blacksmiths  among  them.  Many  individuals  are 
said  to  have  a  strong  inclination  for  speculating — by  which  "  trading" 
or  bartering  horses,  cattle,  buggies,  &c.,  should  be  understood. 

Tliere  are  at  present  about  a  dozen  instances  of  intermarriage  between 
members  of  these  nations  and  the  Avhites. 

In  several  important  particulars  a  renn)val  from  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  Brantford,  and  the  improveuient  in  substantial  (iomforts, 
have  produced  valuable  results. 

One  of  the  most  suggestive  indicfitions  of  the  period  is  that  an  agri- 
cultural fair  was  held  exchisively  among  the  Indians  during  the  present 
yeal\  The  New  England  Society  contributed  £20  to  the  fund  f<n' lu'izes, 
the  list  of  which  included  cattle  of  difi'erent  breeds,  and  was,  with  a  few 
variations,  much  the*same  as  among  the  whites  on  such  occasions.  The 
exhibition  was  highly  creditsible  and  well  calculated  to  improve  the 
stock  and  husbandry  of  the  Indians,  an<l  also  1:0  exert  a  cheering  and 
elevating  influence  upon  them  by  instituting  pheasant  social  and  jmblic 
gatherings;  while  to  encourage  an  honorable  and  pleasurable  pride  in 
having  good  stock  antl  in  fostering  the  domestic  animals,  is  to  substitute 
entirely  new  characteristics  for  those  predominant  among  people  who 
think  of  the  inferior  creatures  as  only  subjects  for  the  chase  and  the 
knife. 


MANAGEMENT   OF  INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


Tlie  estiiblislinieiit  of  a  teini>eranee  society  amoug  these  nations  is 
regarded  by  many  as  an  omen  of  good  hope. 

About  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Brantford  we  reached  the  Indian 
school-house,  established  by  the  New  England  Society.  It  is  a  plain, 
substantial  three  atory  building  of  brick,  pleasantly  situated  on  a  farm 
comprising  two  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land.  At  the  time  of  my  visit 
the  number  of  children  in  attendance,  including  both  sexes,  Avas  eighty- 
two.  They  are  taught,  fed,  and  clothed  at  the  exi)ense  of  the  society. 
None  are  admitted  before  the  age  of  ten.  The  writing  of  several  was 
very  good,  and  their  examinations  in  spelling  were  highly  creditable. 
There  is  no  attempt  to  confer  more  than  a  plain  English  education,  but 
provision  is  made  for  consecutive  advancements  to  higher  schools,  if  the 
proficiency  attained  seems  to  justify  them.  The  farmer  of  the  establish- 
ment carefully  instructs  the  boys  in  the  work  of  the  farm  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  taking  a  limited  number  with  him  into  the  fields  and  barns 
on  all  suitable  o(;(;asions,  and  allotting  specific  work  to  each  of  them, 
subject  to  his  inspection. 

I  regretted  that  horticultural  instructions  were  not  added  to  those  of 
the  resident  farmer.  At  an  expense  almost  nominal  a  few  ornamental 
trees,  shrubs,  and  plants  would  increase  the  attractions  of  the  temporary 
home  and  its  lessons  to  the  young  Indians;  and  by  adding  a  nursery 
garden  the  children  could  also  be  instructed  in  the  art  of  sowing,  rear- 
ing, budding,  and  grafting  the  fruit  trees  adapted  to  the  climate.  Mu<;h 
present  and  agrtiieable  interest  would  be  excited,  useful  employment 
would  be  aflforded,  and  permanent  and  practical  ideas  of  a  beneficial 
kind  would  thus  be  carried  to  many  Indian  homes,  and  secure  material 
and  profitable  results,  while  the  iiroductions  of  the  garden  and  nursery 
would  nearly  or  quite  defray  the  expense  of  the  undertaking. 

In  addition  to  the  common  branches  of  education  the  girls  are  in- 
structed in  the  ordinary  household  work  of  the  farm,  including  spinning, 
and  sewing  by  hand  and  on  the  machine. 

It  was  found  impossible  to  secure  attendance  sufliciently  regular  with- 
out boarding  the  children  in  the  establishment.  The  i)arents  of  many 
reside  at  considerable  distances  from  it.  It  is  unquestionable  that  the 
influence  exerted  by  the  school  has  had  a  very  beneficial  influence  on 
the  farm  and  homes  of  these  Indians. 

In  this  school  two  or  three  of  the  children  were  undistingnishable 
from  whites,  and  many  were  evidently  of  mixed  blood.  I  inquired 
from  their  teacher,  who  was  a  man  of  experience  in  other  schools, 
whether,  in  receiving  instruction,  there  was  any  appreciable  difference 
between  the  children  of  the  two  races.  He  thought  that  of  the  two,  the 
Indians  were  the  quickest. 

Here  no  attempt  is  now  made  to  teach  the  mechanical  arts,  although 
at  one  time  this  was  done.  The  project  was  not  abandoned  because  the 
Indian  youths  manifested  an  insufficient  aptitude  for  such  acquirements. 
They  preferred  the  independent  life  of  farmers  to  that  of  confined  and 
systematic  mechanics. 

The  same  remarkable  "New  Engltind  Society,"  already  far  advanced 
in  the  third  century  of  its  benevolent  and  useful  labors,  maintains  eight 
s<;hools  (see  Appendix  B)  among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations,  besides 
two  more  schools  in  other  parts  of  Ontario.  It  is  a  close  corporation, 
and,  in  some  respects,  but  little  is  known  of  it.  By  an  ordiiumce  issued 
in  1049,  during  the  time  of  the  British  Commonwealth,  it  was  consti- 
tuted a  corporation  under  the  name  of  "  The  President  and  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  New  England."  Under  the  same  au- 
thcrity  "  a  general  collection  was  made  in  all  the  counties,  cities,  towns, 


MANAGEMEI 


and  parishes  in  England  and  Wales,"  and  lands  were  purchased  with 
the  money  so  collected.  On  the  restoration  the  objects  of  the  company 
were  declared  to  be  not  confined  to  New  England,  but  to  extend  also  to 
"  the  parts  adjacent  in  America." 

The  charter  states  the  jiurpose  of  the  society  to  be  "  for  the  further 
propagation  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  amongst  the  heathen  natives 
in  or  near  New  England,  and  the  parts  adjacent  in  America,  and  for  the 
better  civilizing,  educating,  and  instructing  of  the  said  heathen  natives 
in  learning  and  the  knowledge  of  the  true  and  only  God,  and  in  the 
Protestant  religion  already  owned  and  publicly  professed  by  many  of 
them,  and  for  tlie  better  encouragement  of  such  others  as  shall  Embrace 
the  same,  and  of  their  posterities  after  them,  to  abide  and  coittinue  in 
and  hold  fast  the  said  profession." 

The  first  governor  in  this  corporation  was  the  Hon.  Robert  Boyle, 
who  retained  his  office  for  thirty  years,  and  by  his  will  added  largely  to 
its  income,  which  was  also  increased  by  "  other  pious  and  well-disposed 
persons,"  especially  by  a  bequest  from  an  eminent  dissenting  minister, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Daniel  Williams,  whose  name,  like  that  of  Boyle,  has 
become  historical  in  New  England  and  throughout  this  continent. 

Not  far  from  the  chief  school  established  by  this  company  rises  the 
spire  of  a  neat  and  quaint  little  church,  the  oldest  sacred  edifice  in  the 
Province  of  Ontario.  It  was  built  by  Captain  Brant  and  his  brother 
Indians,  who  brought  with  them  from  tlui  Mohawk  Valley  a  large  Bible 
and  a  silver  set  of  communion  ]>late,  presented  to  them  by  ^'the  good 
Queen  Anne,"  and  yet  cherished  as  inalienable  mementoes  by  the 
nation.  The  bell  which  called  them  to  Christian  worship  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  Mohawk  is  yet  retained  for  similar  purposes  on  the  Grand 
River. 

The  council-house  of  the  Six  Nations  is  a  new  and  commodious  build- 
ing, about  twelve  miles  from  Brant  ford.  In  the  proceedings  held  within 
it  many  of  the  old  observances  arc  yet  retained.  The  chieftaincies,  as 
to  times  of  peace,  have  been  hereditary  through  the  female  line,  but 
inherited  not  by  the  son  of  the  chief,  but  the  son  or  nominee  of  his 
daughter.  The  ancient  office  of  fire-keeper  is  also  continued.  "The 
act  and  the  symbol  of  the  act  were  both  in  his  hands.  lie  summoned 
the  chiefs  and  actually  lit  the  sacred  fire  at  whose  blaze  their  i)ipes  were 
lighted." 

I  found  about  sixty  of  the  chiefs  present.  Three  or  four  of  the  num-. 
ber  could  not  be  distinguished  from  whites ;  but  on  the  whole  the  In- 
dian characteristics  prevailed,  an<l  indicate*!  less  intermixtin-e  of  the 
races  than  might  have  been  expected,  after  they  had  lived  in  proximity 
so  long.  In  dress,  cleanliness,  intelligence,  and  other  marks  of  condi- 
tion and  character,  the  assemblage  was  jit  leiist  e<iual  to  that  of  an 
ordinary  town-meeting  in  a  good  ngricultmal  region.  Two  old  chiefs 
wore  gaily-colored  handkerchiefs  as  turbans,  and  had  loose  coats  with 
saslu^s,  but  there  were  no  other  approaches  to  Indian  costunu*. 

On  all  occasions  of  ade(|uate  importance,  ^Ir.  Gilkeson,  as  the  visit- 
ing superintendent,  presides. 

Before  open  discussion  began,  the  chiefs  "put  their  lu'ads  together" 
in  small  knots  or  parties  throughout  the  room  and  consulte<l  carefully. 
The  subsequent  speakers  in  puldic  were  un<lerstood  to  express  the  opin 
ions  thus  formed  in  the  minor  circles.  The  proceedings  were  in  the 
language  of  the  Six  Nations,  but  an  able  interpreter  officiated  when 
necessary. 

The  ancient  and  admirable  charficteristics  of  Indians  in  council  yet 
prevail.    Even  when  highly  educated,  our  own  race  seldom  attains  the 


f 


MANAGEMENT  OF   INDIANS  IN   BBITISH   AMERICA. 


ubnolutely  unenibamissed  fluency  of  liiiigiiiige,  the  Relf-possensed  and 
eu8y  intonations  and  gestures,  and  the  quiet  and  dignified  courtesy 
which  distinguished  the  si)eakers.  They  spolce  with  the  eUn'ated  air 
of  men  wlio  respetjt  themselves  and  their  hearers.  To  understand  the 
full  significance  of  such  a  S(;ene  one  must  be  an  actual  witness  of  it. 

Having  been  informed  of  my  object  in  visiting  them,  they  ai)i)ointed 
one  of  their  number  to  address  me.  He  did  so  through  an  inti'rpreter, 
with  equal  ease,  tact  and  courtesy;  and  expressed  tlie  most  friendly 
feelings  and  a  readiness  to  afford  whatever  infornnition  I  might  desire. 
When  I  had  said  a  few  words  in  rei>ly,  lie  connnended  me  and  my  coun- 
trymen to  the  care  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that 
he  was  deputed  on  behalf  of  the  assembled  chiefs  to  shake  hands  with 
me.  He  did  so,  gracefully  and  cordially,  apparently  un(;onscious  that 
the  ju'ecedent  might  sometimes  be  advantageously  adopted  by  assem- 
blages more  numerous  and  important. 

After  the  fornml  meeting  was  over,  a  few  Indians  addressed  me  through 
one  of  their  own  number  and  an  interpreter,  inforn  »ng  me  that  they 
were  pagans,  and  yet  adhered  to  their  ancient  institutions ;  holding  the 
same  opinions  and  jmicticing  the  same  observances  regarding  religion 
and  the  Great  Si)irit  as  had  been  handed  down  to  them  through  their 
forefathers  from  time  immemorial,  or  prehistoric.  Like  the  other  mem- 
bers of  these  nations,  they  knew  of  the  President  or  Great  Father,  and 
exj)ressed  pleasure  in  having  secMi  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  They 
assured  me  that  although  they  differed  on  many  ])oints  from  the  jweseut 
majority  of  the  people  of  their  confederacy,  they  believed  that  the  Great 
Spirit  recpiired  them  to  do  right  towanl  all  men,  and  said  that  they  en- 
deavored to  inculcate  and  practice  this  golden  rule. 

The  number  of  pagan  Indians  among  the  Six  Nations  on  this  reserva- 
tion is  about  six  hundred.  Those  who  profess  Christianity  are  chiefly 
Episcopalians,  Methodists  and  Baptists,  but  a  few  are  Plymouth  Brethren. 

I  returned  to  Hamilton  more  deeply  impressed  than  before  with  a 
sense  of  the  capability  of  the  Indian  for  civilization ;  and  yet  more  clearly 
cognizant  of  the  slow  and  almost  imperceptible  degrees  by  which  alone 
an  Indian  population  can  ever  be  actually  absorbed  by  our  own  race. 

There  are  also  three  settlements  of  Iroquois  in  Lower  Canada — at  St. 
Kegis,  St.  Louis,  and  the  Lake  of  the  Two  Mountains.  Those  of  St. 
Regis  are  specially  distinguished  as  having  blended  some  of  the  health- 
ful elements  of  European  civilization  with  the  self-reliance  and  vigor  of 
their  origiind  and  untamed  life.  They  appear  to  have  acquired  provi- 
dent habits,  as  well  as  other  virtues  of  civilization,  and  are  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  among  the  native  tribes  for  temperate  and  orderly 
lives,  and  progress  as  a  settled  community. 

Although  this  <;ommunity  is  an  oft'-shoot  of  the  Iroquois  stock,  it  is 
not  a  member  of  the  confederacy.  It  originated  in  efforts  begun  about 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  by  the  Roman  Catholic  church, 
to  draw  the  Iroquois  into  communion.  Ultimately  the  most  enthusiastic 
of  the  converts  withdrew  from  the  body  of  the  tribes  and  settled  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Wyandotts,  or,  as  they  are  frequently  termed,  the  Hurons,  are  of 
kindred  origin  to  the  Iroquois,  and  resembled  them  in  wild  courage. 
They  were  the  chief  inhjibitauts  of  the  now  cultivated  regions  of  the 
Province  of  Ontario.  When  Chauqilain  first  explored  the  country  west 
of  the  river  Ottawa,  and  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  he 
found  it  unoccupied,  but  also  marked  with  abundant  traces  of  cultiva- 
tion and  of  recent  occupation  by  the  Wyandott  tribes,  who  had  either 
been  exterjuiuated  by  the  Iroquois  or  pursued  by  them  with  such  relent- 


MANAQEMENT   OF  INDIANS   IN    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


loss  liostility  that  tlioy  rotn»ate«l  until  tlioir  once  populouH  regions  were 
HbaiidoiitMl.  Tlunr  ciiief  M^ttUMiuMits  \v<>ro  around  Lake  8iincoi%  and  nhmfi 
the  Georjjjian  Hay,  rej;;ionH  marked  oii  every  favoraMe  site  with  traces  of 
their  a^frieultural  iiulustry,  and  crowded  with  their  jfraves.  Their  ]>op- 
uhition  was  estimated  at  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand;  and  in  the 
earlier  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  »Iesuit  fathers  are  said  to  have 
]>lanted  their  statitms  amid  the  populous  walled  villaj^:es  and  ctdtivated 
tiehls  of  the  Wyandotts,  and  reckoned  the  warriors  of  their  trihefe  by 
thousands. 

In  l(»2(i,  Father  Josejdi  de  la  Koche  d'Alleyn,  when  seeking?  to  dis- 
cover the  (leboucliment  of  the  Niagara  into  Lake  Ontario,  i>asse<l  thron;j;h 
twenty-ei^ht  towns  and  villages  of  the  Altiwendaronks,  wln»  lived  in  the 
territory  in<;lu<ling  the  valley  and  falls  of  that  river.  The  (country  of  the 
Eries  was  far  nuue  extensive,  and  probably  e«iually  popnlous.  But  such 
was  th«'  relentless  nature  of  the  aiudess  war  waged  ujjon  these  people 
by  the  Iroquois,  that  within  less  than  thirty  years  from  this  mission  of 
Father  de  la  Koche  the  whole  region  occupied  by  these  nations,  from 
the  Georgian  Bay  to  the  southern  limits  of  the  Fries,  and  far  beyoiul 
the  shores  of  the  lake  which  yet  i)eri>etuate8  their  name,  was  a  silent 
desert.  All  this  was  the  result  of  conflict  among  native  tribes,  and  so 
entirely  unintluenced  by  the  white  man,  that  it  is  with  ditticulty  we  can 
recover  a  few  trustworthy  glim[)ses  of  the  Eries  or  the  others,  from  In- 
dian traditions  or  the  notes  of  one  or  two  missionaries  whom  zeal  for  the 
propagation  of  the  faith  carried  into  the  coiuitry  of  those  extinct  ))eoples, 
long  before  the  enterprise  of  the  coureum  des  hok  had  led  them  to  pene- 
trate so  far. 

The  important  bearing  of  this  brief  historical  sketch  on  the  subject  of 
my  rei)ort  will  be  seen, on  reflecting  that,  by  the  means  thus  recounted, 
a  large  ]U'oportion  of  the  vast  ])rovince,  lately  known  as  Canada,  was  in 
a  considerable  degree  denu<led  of  Indians.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons 
why  the  hatred  and  warfare,  whi(;h  have  generAlly  resulted  from  the  aj)- 
proaches  of  settlements  by  whites  to  Indian  territory,  did  not  arise.  It 
aided  in  giving  a  clear  tteld  for  the  trial  of  those  wise  experiuients  which 
havt»  already  resulted  so  favorably  and  promise  yet  greater  success. 

The  Mississaquas,  and  other  branches  of  the  Algoncpiin  stock  from  the 
northwest,  spread  into  the  nearly  vacant  territory,  but  their  influx  has 
to  a  consiilerable  extent  taken  place  since  the  French  portion  of  the 
white  race  had  begun  to  colonize  it.  Doubtless  this  state  of  attairs,  and 
the  friendly  migration  of  the  Six  Nations  into  Canada,  with  the  consent 
and  approval  of  rhe  British  government  and  of  the  Indians  previously 
resident  in  the  province,  have  done  nuicli  toward  encouraging  the  im- 
perial and  provincial  governments  to  adojit  and  [)ersevere  in  a  Just  and 
hunume  policy.  It  seems  to  be  the  universal  opinion  among  both  raises, 
that  although  the  ordinary  management  of  the  Indians  by  the  dounuant 
power  in  the  old  provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  may  have  some- 
times been  injudicious  toward  those  who  are  submitted  to  its  guardian- 
ship, their  substantial  well-being  has  been  sedulously  kept  in  view. 

Of  the  once  great  nation  of  Ilurons,  or  Wyandotts,  destroyed  by  the 
Iroquois,  only  seventy  individuals  now  survive  in  the  province  of  Onta- 
rio. They  occui)y  the  Huron  reserve,  in  the  township  of  Anderdon,  and 
were  conttrmed  in  possession  of  that  portion  of  the  ancient  heritage  of 
their  race  at  the  general  partition  of  lands  by  the  different  tribes  in 
1701.  In  1858,  when  they  numbered  sixty-live,  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  Canadian  government  to  in(iuire  into  the  best  means  of  securing 
the  progress  and  civilization  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  Canada,  stated  that 
"  the  Indians  on  this  reserve  are  mostly  half-breeds,  French  and  English. 


w 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


Very  few,  if  anj ,  are  of  pure  Indian  blood.  They  niuat  be  looked  upon 
as  among  the  tribes  the  most  advanced  in  civilization  in  Western  Can- 
ada. Many  of  them  speak  either  French  or  Englisli  fluently,  have  a 
keen  knowledge  of  their  own  interests,  and  would  be  capable  of  mjin- 
aging  their  own  affairs." 

In  religious  belief  tliey  are  nearly  equally  divided  between  cpnverts  to 
the  creed  and  worship  of  the  Roman  Catholics  and  those  of  the  Meth- 
odist faith.  They  attend  the  churches  and  mingle  with  other  worship- 
pers at  tlie  town  of  Amherstburg,  distant  about  three  miles  from  the  set- 
tlement; and  were  it  not  for  the  distinctive  character  of  the  policy 
adopted  toward  thf'n  as  being  nominally  Indian,  they  would  "  inevitably 
merge  into  the  general  population,  and  disappear  and  be  lost ;  but  only 
in  so  far  as  they  ceased  to  be  distinguished  from  other  members  of  the 
civilized  communitj\"* 

At  La  Jeune  Lorette,  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  is  another  remnant 
of  the  Ilurons.  Its  members  are  descended  from  those  stragglers  of 
their  nation  whom  the  Jesuit  mi.-  onaries  of  the  seventeenth  century 
hunmnely  guided  from  their  ravaged  hunting  grounds  and  corn-tields 
around  the  Georgian  Bay,  to  the  banks  of  the  river  St.  Charles.  In 
1808  their  population  numbered  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven,  having 
increased  twenty-one  since  the  census  of  the  i)revious  year. 

The  commissioners  who  reported  to  the  Canadian  government  in  1858 
speak  of  them  as  a  band  of  Indians  "the  most  advanced  in  civilization 
in  the  whole  of  Canada,"  but  by  the  intenuixture  of  white  blood  they 
have  so  far  lost  the  original  identity  with  their  race  as  scarcely  to  be 
considered  as  Indiar  ,  Of  all  the  tribes  in  Canada,  they  alone  have  lost 
nearly  all  traces  of  their  native  language ;  and,  but  for  the  pecuniary  in- 
ducements of  the  annual  Indian  grant,  would  long  since  have  intermixed 
Avith  and  disjippeared  among  the  habitans  of  French  descent,  by  whom 
they  are  surrounded. 

The  theory  of  the  sterility  and  ultimate  extinction  of  the  mixed  Indian 
and  European  races  appears  to  be  confuted  by  the  well  autlienticated 
fact  that  the  numbers  of  individuals  in  the  hybrid  tribes  have  largely 
multiplied  since  1844,  and  that  tlie  in(;rease  yet  continues.  Professor 
Wilson,  a  close  observer  and  accurate  analyst,  says:  "They  seem  likely 
to  survive  until,  as  a  settlement  of  French-speaking  Canadians,  on  the 
banks  of  the  St.  Charles,  they  will  have  to  prove  their  Imlian  descent  by 
baptismal  register,  or  the  genealogical  records  of  the  tribe,  after  all  ex- 
ternal traces  liave  disa])i)eared." 

Within  the  last  year  the  dicta  of  an  eminent  European  ethnologist  as 
to  the  influence  of  the  climate  of  our  continent  on  our  race  have  been 
extensively  quoted,  and  elicited  ample  commentaries  in  both  hemi- 
si>heres.  He  based  his  conclusions  on  a  letter  from  a  French  ( •anadian, 
who  i)athetically  lamented  that,  although  he  and  his  family  heroically 
renmineu  French  in  sentinuMit,  after  an  absence  of  two  centuries  from 
the  i>arent  stock,  they  were  becoming  Ilurons  in  physical  form.  View- 
ing the  sulviect  as  he  did,  simply  from  a  single  point,  and  in  reference  to 
climatic  influences,  the  marvel  of  the  case  is  magniflcently  increased  by 
the  fact  that  an  oi)posite  effect  is  [)roduc(Ml  upon  the  Ilurons,  who,  i!i 
the  same  period,  have  beeonu^  so  nearly  French.  The  savant  bore  uncon- 
scious testimony  to  the  existing  amalgamation  of  the  races. 

The  Algon(iuin  race  formerly  extended  from  the  Atlantic  shore  of  New 
York,  through  New  England  and  the  British  maritinu^  proviiu-es,  along 
the  lower  St.  Lawrence,  and  then<*e  westerly  along  the  northern  shores 
of  Lakes  Huron  aiul  Superior,  at  least  as  far  as  the  Mississippi. 

*  Professor  Wilson,  of  Toronto  University,  on  Prehistoric  Man,  &c. 


MANAGEMENT   OP   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


in 


In  C.aiiada  its  tribes  are  more  numerous  than  any  otlier,  and  include 
the  Chippewas,  Mississaquas,  Ojibways,  Pottawatomies  and  Ottaw-ts,  of 
Ontario;  besides  the  Nippissings,  Abinakis,  Anialacites,  Montagnais, 
Mistassons,  and  Mohegans,  in  the  i)rovinee  of  Quebec.  Many  of  them 
remain  on,  or  even  beyond,  the  outskirts  of  civilization,  and  are  yet  no- 
madic tribes,  subsisting  by  fishing  and  the  chase,  while  others,  occupy- 
ing more  favorable  positions,  are  in  an  advanced  condition,  not  inferior 
to  that  of  any  other  Canadian  tribes. 

One  of  the  Mississaqua  chiefs,  sjieaking  of  his  own  tribe,  the  Indians 
yet  known  as  of  the  river  Credit,  though  now  resident  in  the  territory 
of  the  Six  Xations,  and  of  such  (others  as  have  become  Christian,  fur- 
nishes strong  testimony  as  to  the  increase  of  the  genuine  spirit  of  civiliza- 
tion anion  them.    He  said  : 

"Formerly  the  women  were  considered  as  mere  slaves  to  dnulgery, 
and  hard  woik  was  done  by  them.  Now  the  men  treat  the  women  as 
equals,  bearing  the  heavy  burdens  themselves,  while  the  wouu'n  attend 
to  the  children  and  househoUl  concerns." 

As  the  Algonquins  inhabited  comparatively  high  northern  latitudes, 
and  the  small  grains  were  unknown  among  the  aborigines,  whose  chief 
crop  was  (H)rn,  they  weie  probably  even  more  essentially  nomadic  than 
the  Iroquois  or  the  Hurons,  and  in  even  a  greater  degree  regarded  sys- 
tematic and  manual  labor  as  too  degiading  to  occupy  their  attention. 
But  wherever  the  experiment  has  been  made  in  equally  favorable  condi- 
tions, they  show  lu)  less  aptitude  than  the  (»ther  race  for  the  care  of  do- 
mestic cattle  and  the  cultivation  of  the  farm. 

By  the  census  of  1S50,  the  nund)er  o^  Indians  on  the  northern  shores 
of  Lake  Huron  was  1,422,  and  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Sui)orior,  1,240 — in 
all,  2,GG2.  In  18(58  they  had  respectively  increased  to  1,748  and  1,2(}3— 
in  all,  3,011,  being  a  gain  of  340.  This  small  population  is  spread  over 
a  country  ex(!eeding  the  State  of  New  Y(uk  in  extent,  ami  as  yet  scarcely 
approached  by  civilization,  excei)t  at  the  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Comi>any,  and  at  the  Northern  3Iines,  where  a  scanty  poi)ulation  is  at- 
tracted. It  cannot  be  expected  that  in  a  wooded  country,  yet  so  sparsely 
peojded,  these  Indians  should  have  been  induced  to  give  ui)  the  habits 
of  tlie  chase,  esi)ecially  as  the  severity  of  the  climate  greatly  diminishes 
the  rewards  of  agricultural  industry.  Hence  it  may  readily  be  inferred 
that  civilization  is  yet  inchoate  among  them. 

]\Iost  of  these  Indians  are  yet  [)agans.  The  few  who  have  embrsiced 
Christianity  have  chietly  done  so  througii  the  exertions  of  the  Catholic 
priests.  The  following  description  of  these  tribes  yet  remains  essen- 
tially true.    The  commissioners  said  : 

"They  live  for  the  most  part  by  hunting  and  on  the  produce  of  their 
fisheries,  although  they  do  raise  a  few  potatoes  and  a  little  Indian  corn  ; 
and  they  fiiul  a  market  tor  disposing  of  their  ix'ltries  and  suj^plying 
themselves  with  necessaries  at  the  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
They  are  (piite  nomadic  in  their  habits;  sehhMn  living  or  remaining  long- 
in  one  spot,  and  contented  with  the  shelter  afforded  by  a  bark  wigwam 
or  a  hut  of  reeds.  It  is  (»nly  during  the  spring  and  antumn,  when  they 
conie  d«)wn  fnnn  the  high  groun<ls  to  the  border  of  the  laUc,  that  they 
are  accessible  to  those  who  wimld  urge  on  them  the  necessity  of  ('hris- 
tianity  and  civilization.  There  is  no  diHiculty,  therefore,  in  ai'counting 
for  the  snuUl  apparent  results  of  the  labors  of  the  missionaries." 

In  1850*  these  peo|)le  surrendered  the  whole  extent  of  their  va.st  c«mn- 
try,  with  the  excepticm  of  certain  reserves,  to  the  Canadian  government, 

*  Sue  Uiml'H  Cuutuliuu  Uud  Kiver  Expeilitiun,  vol.  2,  x>.  lihj. 


w 


MANAGEMENT    OF   INDIANS   IN    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


for  $10,040  in  cash,  and  a  perpetual  annuity  of  $4,400,  or  less  than  a  tlol- 
lar  and  a  half  apiece — the  annuity  being  so  snutll  as  scarcely  to  be  worth 
claiming,  esi)ecially  by  those  who  do  not  reside  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhoo<l  of  the  places  where  payment  is  made.  Hitherto  these  Indians 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  parted  from  the  possession  or  occupancy  of 
their  territory.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that,  as  the  white  men  make  settle- 
ments near  them,  and  their  present  means  of  subsistence  are  diminished, 
the  Canadian  government,  in  accordance  with  its  traditional  policy,  will 
make  some  more  adequate  provision  for  them. 

So  great  has  been  the  influence  of  the  ordinary  Canadian  policy  that 
even  tliese  Indians  maintain  a  peaceful  character.  They  evince  much 
fidelity  to  their  friends,  and  are  not  deflcient  in  honesty,  except  when 
tliey  fall  under  the  temptation  of  "  lire- water,"  which  is  to  them  nmrvel- 
ously  irresistible  and  destructive.  JNIany  of  them  are  half  breeds,  and 
the  occasional  introduction  of  whisky  in  defiance  of  the  law  is  followed  by 
scenes  of  grejit  i)rotligacy. 

In  18.')(;,  Lieutenant  Governor  Sir  Francis  B.  Head  made  an  attempt 
to  gather  together  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  Canada  on  the  Great  Mani- 
toulin  Island,  in  the  northern  part  of  Lake  Huron.  The  soil  of  the  island 
is  stony  and  barren,  and  the  (climate  is  too  cold  to  meet  the  api)roval  of 
many  of  those  whom  he  wished  to  settle  upon  it.  Tliose  Indians  who 
went  there  were  chiefly  from  tlie  wandering  tribes  on  the  northern  shore 
of  the  lake,  and,  by  subsequent  inattention  and  neglect,  they  were  .al- 
lowed to  lapse  partially  into  their  vagrant  habits  in  pursuit  of  game  and 
fish,  instead  of  being  actively  encouraged,  and  invited  by  example  and 
other  nu'ans  to  adopt  a  life  of  industry,  either  as  fanners  or  mechanics. 
The  othcials  sent  among  them  did  not  exert  a  favorable  influc  ncie;  and 
the  in*^roduction  and  sale  of  spiritous  liquors,  though  illegal,  was  not 
jM-ever-ted.  The  resident  missionaries  also  report  that  great  injury  was 
done  by  the  indiscriminate  admission  of  various  traders,  who  sohl  use- 
less articles  on  credit  at  excn'bitant  rates;  and  although  debts  cannot  be 
enforce<l  against  Indians,  were  i)aid  by  them  in  the  products  of  their 
toil  at  as  low  ratios  as  the  consciences  of  such  traders  would  permit 
them  to  ort'er. 

The  remarks  of  the  resident  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  on  the  sub- 
ject of  credit  to  In<lians  convey  so  pointed  and  clear  a  lesson  that  I 
transcribe  them.    They  said: 

"The  following  is  the  mode  of  traffic  pursued  by  the  resident  traders. 
During  the  summer  and  winter  months,  seasons  when  the  Indians  have 
nothing  to  ex<;hange  for  goods,  t]w  traders  sell  them  all  that  they  re 
(juire  on  credit.  Their  purchases  are  generally  objects  of  but  little  in- 
trinsic value,  ami  are  cliosv'u  by  the  Indians  more  on  account  of  color 
and  form  than  for  their  actual  worth;  for  as  a  rule  the  traders  object  is 
more  to  gratify  the  frivolous  and  <'hild-like  tastes  of  the  Indian  tlian  to 
provide  for  his  actual  wants.  Objects  of  everyday  use  are  sold  at  an 
advance  of  three,  four,  or  five  times  their  original  cost.  When  the 
spring  or  autumn  arrives,  the  traders  get  possession,  so  lar  as  they  can, 
of  the  sugar,  potatoes  and  fish,  that  the  Indians  may  have  then,  at  ex- 
tremely low  prices,  fixed  by  themselves.  Their  reason  for  acting  in  this 
arbitrary  manner  is,  they  allege,  to  restore  their  own  credit  asul  protect 
their  own  interests,  for  they  are  well  aware  that  a  large  nund)er  of  the 
Indians  will  be  unable  or  unwilling  to  pay  their  debts  in  full;  and  the 
traders  in  this  manner  indemnify  themselves  by  exacting,  from  the  small 
number  of  Indians  whom  they  compel  to  pay  at  all,  debts  which  in  the 
Indians' eyes  appear  enormous,  and  which  injustice,  were  the  trader  to  act 
with  honesty, would  not  amount  to  more  than  one-third  of  the  sum  claimed. 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


This  credit  system  lias  not  thus  far  answered  and  can  never  be  made  to 
succeed,  for  while  it  keeps  the  Indian  in  a  state  of  shivishness  and  de- 
peiuleuce,  depriving  him  as  it  does  of  tlie  fruits  of  liis  own  hibor,  it 
eventually  ruins  the  trader.  Of  the  many  traders  who  deal  with  the 
Indians  we  do  not  know  of  one  whose  atfairs  can  be  said  to  be  in  a  pros- 
perons  condition. 

"As  rejjards  transient  traders,  it  is  during  the  spring  and  autumn,  as 
we  have  before  remarked,  that  they  make  their  appearance  from  every 
side.  But  this  is  what  then  happens :  The  Indians  who  have  bought 
from  the  resident  trader  during  the  summer  and  winter,  well  aware  that 
if  they  carry  him  their  potatoes,  sugar,  or  fish,  they  will  only  be  paying 
debts  alrea<ly  contracte<l,  without  obtaining  anything  in  return,  prefer 
taking  their  provisions  to  the  transient  traders,  to  whom  they  owe 
nothing,  and  from  whom  they  at  once  obtain  merchandise  in  return." 

The  same  reverend  gentlemen  rei)resent  the  two  classes  of  traders  as 
e(pially  extortionate,  and,  as  one  of  the  remedies  for  such  a  state  of 
things,  propose  that  every  spring  and  autumn  a  taritt'  of  prices  should 
be  posted  on  a  conspicuous  place  and  that  conformity  to  it  be  enforced. 

Others  have  recommended  the  establishment  of  stores  or  shops  under 
governmental  inspection,  and  where  a  resident  ofldcial  shall  have  a  fixed 
salary. 

I  can  readily  believe  with  the  missionaries  that,  under  such  (;ircum- 
stances  as  have  been  described,  the  Indian  would  always  be  overwhelmed 
with  debt,  with  very  slight  possibility  of  ever  extricating  himself  from 
it,  and  that  he  could  scarcely  be  expected  "  to  have  comifort  and  [>lenty 
in  his  iMMue  when  he  is  barely  able  to  purchase  articles  of  in<lispensablc 
necessity." 

But  even  as  to  this  island,  the  same  missionaries  concur  with  other 
witnesses  in  the  testimony  that  a  marked  and  satisfactory  advancement 
has  been  nuide,  both  in  a  moral  aiul  religious  point  of  view,  including 
increased  fidelity  to  nunriage  vows,  extinction  of  hereditary  <iuarrels 
between  ditferent  tribes  or  bands,  and  the  almost  total  suppression  of 
habitual  intemperaiuje.  As  regards  habits  of  iiulustry,  the  imiuovement 
is  e(iually  satisfactory,  though  it  has  been  retarded  by  the  want  of  a 
fi(mr-mill,  and  by  other  causes.  These  Indians  display  nnu'h  aptitiule 
for  the  arts  and  trades  of  civilized  life.  Among  them  are  masons,  tin- 
smiths, blacksmiths,  tailors,  cooiiers,  shoemakers  and  carijenters;  and 
nearly  all  are  skilled  in  the  nuinufa(!ture  of  Mackina(5  boats. 

The  miK'^ionaries  also  report  that  if  these  Indians  do  not  also  display 
a  decided  inclination  and  taste  for  agriculture,  and  do  not  i)rogress  in 
this  respect  as  nuich  as  might  be  desired,  it  is  not  owing  to  any  want  of 
ingenuity  or  necessary  industry,  but  to  the  want  of  necessary  imple- 
ments, «S:c. 

The  native  poimlation  on  the  Manitoulin  Island  was,  at  the  census  of 
1S(»8,  thirteen  hundred,  nearly  two  hundred  having  temporarily  or  other- 
wise migrated  in  search  of  emph)yment.  A  part  of  the  island  is  iu»w 
opened  for  settlement  by  the  whites,  and  a  considerable  anu)unt  of  roads 
has  been  nuide,  in  the  construction  of  which  Indian  labor  was  used  and 
found  to  be  i)rofitable. 

In  speaking  of  the  Iroquois  and  Hurons,  I  have  already  given  some 
account  of  such  of  them  as  live  in  the  province  of  (Quebec. 

The  Indians  of  this  region  were,  in  the  early  stages  of  their  intercourse 
with  the  white  race,  subjected  to  intluences  essentially  ditt'erent  from 
those  of  Ontario.  The  French  nmde  less  etlbrt  to  nniintain  them,  but 
treated  them  more  nearly  as  equals  and  associates;  and  one  of  the  lead- 
ing ideas  of  early  French  coloiiizatiou  was  the  esUiblishmeut  of  a  new 


^¥ 


MUammV  OF  IITI^IANS  IN  UUlTmH  AMUUIUA. 


Christian  empire,  whose  people,  or  their  ancestors,  should  be  the  con- 
wrt-ed  abori;;ines.  Thus,  it  is  not  surprising;  that,  where  the  Indians  of 
this  province  occui)ied  territory  snrroun<led  by  that  of  the  whiteis,  they 
have  become  Catholic  and  nearly  French,  as,  in  the  settled  porti:)ns  of 
Ontario,  the  tendency  usually  is  to  become  Protestant  and  Anglo-Saxon. 

Where  opportunity  offers,  they  prefer  enji^aj^ing  as  raftsmen  or  pilots 
on  the  8t.  Lawrence,  or  entering*-  into  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  IJay 
Company  to  laboring  ste.adily  on  farms. 

Some  of  tlu^se  tribes  now  present  characteristic's  in  marked  (H>ntrast 
to  those  of  others,  the  chief  point  beinj»-  that  while  in  lineage  and  lan- 
guage some  are  almost  French,  others,  near  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence  and 
north  of  it,  are  yet  in  a  state  of  ])rimitive  and  wandering  barbarism. 
With  tlie  ex<'eption  of  the  latter,  the  native  po[)ulatioii  of  (^ueb«M*  is  not 
only  numerically  increasing,  notwithstanding  some  emigration  to  this 
country  and  to  diiferent  parts  of  Canada,  but  is  advancing  towards  civ- 
ilization and  adopting  agricultural  occupations,  and  also  several  others 
of  the  emph)yn»ents  useful  to  such  conununities  as  those  of  Can:. da  and 
tlie  United  States.  Regular,  steady,  mainial  labor,  without  ample  remu- 
neration, is  seldom  relished  by  those  of  either  race  whose  wants  can  be 
satisfied  without  it ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  one  of  the  reasons  why 
the  Indians  of  Lower  Canada  do  not  take  more  readily  to  the  farm  is,  that 
the  severity  of  the  climate  lU'events  them  from  realizing  more  than  a 
very  moderate  reward  from  their  lalxns  on  it.  AVliether  right  or  wrong, 
the  French  population  of  this  province  is  characterized  rather  by  a  will- 
ingness to  enjoy  life  as  it  ])asses  than  by  the  desire  prevalent  among  cmr 
own  people  to  accunudate  large  material  possessions,  and  the  civilized 
Indians  of  (Quebec  have  naturally  been  intluenced  by  the  ideas  of  the 
white  neighbors  who  lived  around  their  villages. 

Under  the  old  regime  the  French  (ionsidered  themselves  the  sovereign 
possessors  of  the  land,  and  thus  in  consecpienceof  theinsutticiency  of  the 
provision  made  for  these  aborigines,  a  moderate  grant  is  allowed  by 
the  government  to  aid  in  their  supi)ort. 

The  l\ev.  J.  ^laurault,  a  resident  Roman  Catholic  missionary  among 
the  Abenakis  tribe  at  St.  Francis,  <»vinced  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  Indians  of  Lower  Canada,  Miien  he  wrote  the  following  summary: 

"  We  have,"  suid  he,  "in  Lower  Canada,  the  ^Lmtaguais,  the  Tetesde 
Boule,  who  an'  true  savages,  and  who  ccmhl  not  possibly  live  as  white 
men  do.  It  would  be  utterly  useless  to  extend  to  them,  for  the  present 
at  least,  p'.ivileges  which  tliey  would  be  unable  to  appreciate,  wlii(th 
would  in  no  way  benefit  them,  and  which  they  wcmld  in  all  probability 
abuse.  Hut  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  Indiansliving  together  in  villages — 
for  instance,  the  ]Micmacs,the  llurons,  the  Abenakis,  the  Iro(juois,and  the 
Algonciuins;  these  Indians  are  civilized;  they  are  aware  of  the  inferioi-- 
ity  of  their  position,  they  know  what  it  ought  to  be,  and  they  see  them- 
selves entangle«l  in  the  meshes  of  a  net  they  are  unable  to  break.  In 
speaking  of  the  llurons,  the  Abenakis,  &(?.,  Jmw  nmny  figure  to  them- 
selves the  cruel  and  ferocious  savages  of  former  days,  scalping  their 
enemies  and  living  upon  human  flesh!  How  different  is  this  from  the 
true  state  of  the  case!  We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  them;  they  are 
savages  only  in  name.  Their  nnmners,  their  customs,  their  habits, 
their  nM)des  of  eating,  &c.,  are  precisely  similar  to  those  of  the  Cana- 
dians. They  nearly  all  speak  both  French  jitmI  English.  Tln^  Hurons 
have  completely  lost  their  mother-tongue.  Our  Indians  of  to-day  are 
nearly  all  Metis  or  half-breeds.  Here  I  do  not  know  o!ie  Abenaki  of 
l)ure  blood  ;  they  are  nearly  all  Canadian,  (rernnin,  English  or  Scotch 
half-breeds.    The  dress  of  the  men  is  exactly  similar  to  that  of  our  gen- 


try.  The  greater  part  oftliese  Indians  are  as  wliite  as  the  Canadians ;  and 
if  we  occasionally  meet  with  one  of  more  than  usually  dark  comi)lexion, 
this  is  generally  owing  to  their  long  journeys,  extending  at  times  over  a 
periotl  of  two  or  three  months,  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  sun ;  but  then 
a  few  weeks  of  repose  in  their  homes  suffice  to  remove  comjiletely  those 
traces  of  exposure.  Frequently  I  have  heard  visitors  express  their  as- 
tonishment, and  say  they  had  come  to  see  Iiulians,  when  to  their  great 
surprise  they  had  found  only  white  men.'- 

The  Abenakis  of  St.  Francis,  among  whom  the  same  missionary  was 
stationed,  are  now  208  in  number.     He  says  of  them : 

"  Many  suppose  that  our  Indians  are  intellectually  weak  and  dis- 
qualified for  business.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  Certainly,  so  far  as 
the  Abenakis  are  concerned,  they  are  nearly  all  keen,  subtle,  and  very 
intelligent.  Let  them  obtain  conq>lete  free<loniand  this  inqjression  will 
soon  (lisapi)ear.  Intercourse  with  the  whites  will  soon  develoi)  their 
talents  for  commerce.  No  doubt  some  of  them  wt>uld  make  an  improper 
use  of  their  liberty,  but  they  would  be  few  in  number.  Everywhere, 
and  in  all  countries,  men  are  to  be  found  weak,  purposeless,  and  unwill- 
ing to  understand  their  own  interests;  but  I  can  certify  that  the  Abe- 
nakis generally  are  sui)erior  in  intelligence  to  the  Canadians.  I  have 
remarked  that  nearly  all  those  who  have  left  their  native  village  have 
profited  by  the  change.    I  know  of  several  who  have  bought  fari'us  in 


our  neiahborhood  and  are  now 


living 


in  comfort.     Others  have  emi- 


grated to  the  United  States,  where  they  have  almost  all  prosju'red,  and 
where  several  of  them  have  raised  theujselves  to  honorable  positions.  I 
know  one  who  is  practicing  with  success  the  profession  of  a  doctor. 
Others  have  settled  in  our  towns  with  a  view  to  learn  the  difierent  trades. 
There  is  one  at  Montreal  who  is  an  excellent  carj)enter;  but  here  we  see 
nothing  of  the  kind.  Nevertheless,  I  observe  a  large  number  of  young 
men,  clever,  intelligent,  and  gifted,  with  remarkable  talents." 

Such  being  the  result  of  his  observations,  the  Kev.  J.  Maurault  urges 
the  emancipation  of  at  least  all  the  more  civilized  Indians  from  the  con- 
dition of  minors  in  the  eye  of  the  law;  feeling  assure<l  that  if  they 
were  ])laced  in  comi»etition  with  the  whites,  and  ahowed  to  hold  and 
dispose  of  their  proi)erty,  they  would  b..  found  fully  able  to  maintain 
their  place  in  the  comnuinity. 

The  Micmacs  number  4J)1,  and  are  a  small  but  highly  civilized  band 
of  a  nation  numerically  stronger  in  New  lirunswick  and  Xova  Scotia. 
They  encamp  along  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence,  and  manifest  considerable 
industry  in  making  staves,  barrel  hoops,  axe  handles,  and  baskets  of 
various  kinds.  They  usually  speak  English,  and  manitcvst  much  shrewd- 
ness in  making  their  baigains  and  coiniuehending  the  laws  of  traiU'  in 
relation  to  the  market  for  hoops  and  staves  and  other  articles  manufac- 
tured by  them. 

The  condition  of  the  kindred  tribes  of  the  ^lontaguais  an«l  Xaska- 
pees  has  no  pan  iiel  In  the  United  States.  Their  special  characteristics 
arise  fron»  the  {'usterity  of  their  clinuite  and  the  sterility  of  their  soil. 
Tliey  cannot  be  expected  to  make  much  i>r«>gress  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  a  region  where  the  nuiximum  of  labor  is  required  and  the  mini- 
mum of  recomjiense  is  returned.  Owing  no  doubt  to  climatic  influ- 
ences, these  Indians  were  always  regarded  by  their  fellow-ab<uigines  as 
the  least  elevated  of  their  race.  They  iidiabit  the  cold  and  barien  re- 
gions of  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence,  where  the  water  enters  the  ocean 
after  passing  through  the  great  lakes,  whose  shores  already  teem  with 
a  civilized  i>opulation.  No  inconsiderable  portU)n  of  the  commerce  of 
both  hemispheres  passes  and  repasses  them.    Their  territory  is  nearer' 


^w 


MAIIAU1<]MUI,'F  m  IIIDIIIIH  IM  tiUlTIUU  MlMUl. 


than  any  other  part  of  the  American  continent  to  the  European  nations 
which  have  had  most  influence  on  our  national  character  and  course. 
Three  centuries  ago,  emigrants  from  France  took  up  tlieir  abodes  in 
the  neighborliood  of  these  Indians,  and  the  descen<lant8  of  tlie  original 
colonists  yet  dwell  in  the  villages  founded  by  their  forefathers.  But 
the  course  of  civilization  has  been  westward  to  more  propitiims  re- 
gions, and  has  left  these  natives  behind.  Few  of  them  have  been 
brought  under  the  j>ower  of  modern  enlightenment,  although,  owing  to 
the  (ievoted  exertions  of  Koinan  Catholic  priests,  some  settlements  have 
been  made.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  much  imiu'ovenu^iit  can  be  made 
in  tlieir  condition  by  nutans  of  agriculture  unless  they  are  removed  to  a 
climate  less  rigcu'ous.  It  would  be  more  easy  to  make  tiahermen  than 
farmers  of  them. 

The  population  of  the  Montaguais  is  1,030,  and  they  seem  to  be  slight- 
ly on  the  increase.  The  Canadian  commissioners  sa^'  of  them  that, 
"  where  uncorrujited  by  intercourse  with  unprincipletl  traders,  they  were 
remarkal>le  for  their  Inmesty  ;  and  even  now  it  is  but  very  seldom  that 
they  break  their  wor<l  or  willfully  violate  engagements  which  they  have 
entered  into.    There  are  but  few  half-breeds  anuMig  them." 

The  Naskapees,  who  number  2,800,  are  of  the  same  stock.  They  and 
the  Mistassins  are  cl<»thed  in  furs  and  deer-skins ;  their  only  neapons 
are  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  they  depend  wholly  on  the  bow  and  drill 
tor  ])rocuring  Are.*  Scmie  Catholic  missionaries  labor  among  them  with 
untiring  zeal  and  lidelity,  but  two-thirds  of  them  are  yet  wild  pagans 
who  worship  Manitous  supposed  to  iidiabit  the  sun  and  moon.  To  these 
imaginary  deities  they  devote  [>art  of  every  animal  they  slay.  As  with 
many  tril»es  further  south,  the  sacrifice  of  the  white  dog  is  annually 
otfere<l. 

Owing  to  the  diminution  of  their  game,  and  the  injury  done  by  white 
men  to  their  tisheries,  the  privations  of  these  Indians  in  winter  are 
often  cpiite  as  great  as  those  of  the  Esquimaux  within  the  Arctic  circle, 
while  their  resources  are  less  ample.  The  missionaries  and  others  who 
have  been  among  them  relate  fearful  instances  of  the  last  extreme  to 
which  luunan  beings  (;an  be  driven  for  food. 

Numerically  considered,  the  aborigines  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New 
Brunswick,  now  included  in  the  New  Dominion,  are  unimimrtant  in 
comparison  with  those  of  the  regi(m  lately  known  as  Canada.  Alto- 
gether the  Indians  of  Nova  8cotia  nund)ered  l,H'Art  in  1808,  when  those 
of  New  Brunswick  were  2,118.  (See  Appendix,  Table  A.)  The  govern- 
ment of  the  New  Dominion  has  yet  obtained  only  a  limited  amount  of 
information  concerning  them. 

It  seemst  that  no  progress  of  importance  has  yet  been  made  in  pre- 
vailing with  the  Indians  of  the  maritime  provinces  to  form  themselves 
into  "  communities  similar  to  those  which  have  long  existed  in  Ontario 
an<l  Quebec,  where,  occu^^ying  farms  or  village  lots,  they  enjoy  in  settled 
and  permanent  habitations  many  of  the  comforts  and  advantages  of 
civilization,  combined  with  systematic  and  continuous  education  and 
the  pastoral  care  of  religious  instructors." 

A  philanthropic  ettbrt  is  being  made  to  rescue  these  Indians  from 
their  present  unprogressive  condition  and  bring  them  at  least  up  to  the 
standard  of  the  more  advanced  communities  of  the  same  race  in  the 
more  inland  provinces,  where  agriculture  is  the  main  support  of  the 
families,  although  as  yet  it  is  not  often  managed  with  the  usual  skill 
and  industry  of  white  farmers.    Those  who  are  attempting  to  produce 

*  Sei.'!  rt'port  of  t\w  oonimisHioiiers. 

t  8<^e  repurt  of  the  Hon.  William  Sprafige,  Supurintoudent  General  of  the  Indian 
Branch,  1868.     - 


this  amelioration  derive  much  encouragement  from  a  comparison  of  the 
present  with  the  former  condition  of  the  Indians  in  Ontario  and  Quebec. 

In  the  provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  the  hmd  reserve 
funds,  from  which  the  usual  income  of  the  Indian  triltes  is  derived,  are 
so  snmll  in  amount  that  nothing  entitled  to  the  name  of  revenue  is  had 
from  them.  Consequently,  parliamentary  annual  grants  of  $1,300  and 
$1,200  respectively  have  been  made  for  that  purpose,  but  as  they  proved 
insufficient  to  relieve  the  pressing  wants  of  the  more  indigent  people, 
supply  medical  attendance  to  the  sick,  and  some  clothing  and  blankets 
to  those  who  most  require  them,  and  to  furnish  such  seed  grain  as 
seemed  to  be  necessary,  the  Hon.  William  Spragge,  the  deputy  superin- 
tendent of  the  Indian  branch,  Uiid  the  case  bef<n-e  Parliament  during  its 
recent  session,  and  such  additional  grants  as  were  requisite  were  made. 

As  the  territory  of  the  Hudson's  Jiay  Company  is  not  yet  subject  to 
the  laws  of  the  Dominion,  it  is  not  included  in  the  instructiims  issued 
from  the  department  to  me.  To  a  certain  extent  the  company  has  liad 
a  benelicial  ett'ect  upon  the  Indians,  but  its  };oli<'y  was  to  preserve  their 
existence  as  hunters  and  trappers,  that  they  should  not  be  gathered 
together  in  settlemiMits  for  the  purposes  of  civilization,  and  that  their 
country  should  renuiin  a  wilderness  inhabited  by  fur-bearing  animals. 
Yet,  by  opening  accounts  with  them,  so  that  tliey  might  be,  as  they 
often  were,  encouraged  to  have  large  balances  in  their  favor,  payable 
on  demand,  or  might  be  preserved  from  famine  in  times  of  scarcity,  it 
rendered  valuable  servi(;es.  Criticism  may  well  be  silent  as  to  tin;  mo- 
tives which  prompted  the  rigid  enforcement  of  laws  for  the  exclusion  of 
"fire  water"  from  those  whom  it  would  certainly  have  destroyed. 

The  company  also  extended  much  aid  to  missionary  exertions,  thereby 
seemingly  contributing  to  the  civilization  of  the  people  in  the  beginning, 
but  strengthening  its  own  influence  among  them.  Professor  Hind  ex- 
pressed an  opinion  1  have  found  to  be  common  among  the  Indian  and 
other  missionaries,  themselves,  that  "the  ju-ogress  of  Christianity  among 
Indians  would  be  riided,  rather  than  otherwise,  if  missionaries  were  not 
to  receive  any  assistance  in  the  form  of  an  annual  stipend  from  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company.  Perfect  freedom  of  action  in  inducing  Indians  to 
settle,  in  the  education  of  Indian  orphan  children,  and  in  teaching  them 
and  the  adults  the  blessings  of  a  settled  Christian  home,  as  opposed  to  a  hea- 
then hunter's  life,  are  essentially  necessary  before  much  satisfactory  pro- 
gress can  be  made.''  Yet,  by  bringing  some  of  the  beneflcial  apjjliances 
and  ideas  of  civilization  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Indians,  the  company  has 
not  been  without  in tiuence  in  carrying  them  gra<lually  over  the  wide  and 
dangerous  interval  that  separates  tlie  rude  and  primitive  people  of  a 
stone  age  from  the  foremost  nations  of  the  European  race  in  the  present 
advanced  period  in  the  age  of  iron. 

So  long  ago  as  18(»0  no  less  than  nineteen  clergymen  of  the  church  of 
England  were  maintained  in  "  Kiipert's  Land,"  at  an  annual  cost  of  about 
thirty-live  thousand  dollars  in  si)ecie.  The  Konmn  Catholics,  Presbyte- 
rians, and  the  Society  for  Proi)agation  of  the  Gospel,  also  made  liberal  ex- 
penditures in  erecting  and  maintaining  churches  as  well  as  in  missionary 
work  and  in  schools ;  but  these  exertions  told  chierty  uiion  the  settle- 
ments of  whites  or  half-breeds,  and  are  inadequate  to  the  great  work 
required  in  a  country  so  extensive  and  so  sparsely  peopled. 

Until  1850  it  was  the  annual  practice  of  the  government  to  distribute 
among  Indians,  in  addition  to  the  usual  payments,  a  considerable  <puin- 
tity  of  blankets,  strong  cloth,  kettles,  tire-arms,  ammunition,  &c.  The 
Indians  were  ntn'er  known  to  use  anything  thus  acquired  against  the 
government  of  Great  Britain  or  Canada.    All  those  Indians  who  had 

H.  Mis.  Doc.  35 2 


w 


MANAGEMENT   OP   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


been  the  allies  of  Great  Britain  in  the  war  of  1812  were  welcome  to 
participation  in  these  donations,  and  thns  the  Great  Manitoulin  Island, 
where  the  distribution  took  place,  was  annually  the  scene  of  an  assem- 
blag:e  not  only  of  Indians  belonging  to  nearly  all  the  tribes  of  British 
North  America,  but  also  of  so  many  from  the  United  States  that  it  was 
regarded  with  suspicion  by  some  of  our  people.  The  last  of  these  gath- 
erings took  place  in  185G,  after  due  notice  had  been  given  to  the  usual 
recipients.  Jt  was  found  that  many  of  the  useful  articles  i>resented 
passed  into  the  hands  of  white  traders,  in  exchange  for  gaudy  tritles, 
or  the  more  deleterious  iire-water. 

One  of  the  chief  Anglo-Canadian  statesmen  of  the  period  senten- 
tiously  remarked  that  the  money  paid  for  the  gunpowder  tluis  presented 
would  be  more  judiciously  expended  in  schools ;  and  it  was  generally 
thought  by  the  frieiuls  of  the  red  man  that  the  gathering  itself,  as  well 
5IS  the  character  of  the  presents  themselves,  had  a  tendency  to  encour- 
age the  habits  of  the  hunting  and  nomadic  life  from  which  the  true 
policy  of  the  government  was  to  wean  the  Indians.  The  government, 
therefore,  wisely  judged  that  the  mouej'  could  be  more  judiciously  ex- 
pended in  behalf  of  the  settled  tribes. 

So  long  as  these  presents  were  nmde,  great  attention  was  paid  to  their 
substantial  value.  The  cloth,  for  instance,  was  of  good,  durable  quality, 
and  the  kettles  were  not  of  iron,  but  of  brass,  they  being  lighter  and 
better  suited  for  the  purposes  of  -  j  camp  and  the  convenience  of  wan- 
tiering  tribes.  Blankets  are  yet  presented  to  the  aged  and  infirm,  and 
sjiecial  care  is  taken  that  they  are  always  soft,  warm,  of  an  ample  size, 
and  of  a  thick  and  strong  texture. 

In  each  Indian  settlement  of  importance,  there  is,  at  least,  one  school. 
Altogether,  in  the  different  parts  of  the  Dominion,  these  schools  are  not 
less  tlian  tifty-three  in  number.  The  teachers  appear  to  be  selected  with 
due  regard  to  the  religious  tenets  of  the  tribe,  and  to  other  circumstances. 
The  Wesleyan  IMethodists  are  conspicuous  in  promoting  the  diffusion 
of  education  among  the  Indians,  but  in  addition  to  this  denomina- 
tion and  the  New  England  society  already  mentioned,  the  Seminary  of 
M<mtreal,  the  Church  of  England,  the  Congregational  Society,  and  the 
Colonial  Church  Society  also  contribute,  and  yet  aid  is  far  more  frequently 
given  from  the  funds  of  the  Indians  themselves  than  from  any  other 
single  source.  It  is  always  furnished  when  other  means  are  inadequate. 
In  such  cases  the  payments  are  made  out  of  the  funds  of  the  baud  at 
quarterly  periods,  by  checks  from  the  oftice  of  the  Indian  branch.  Oc- 
easionaliy  the  s.alaries  of  the  clergymen  are  supplied  from  the  same 
sources.  It  is  also  usual  in  some  of  the  bands,  when  assembled  in 
council,  to  vote  provisions  for  widows,  the  aged  or  infirm,  and  other  per- 
sons in  indigent  circumstances. 

I  deem  the  subject  of  education  among  the  Indians  so  interesting  and 
important  that  I  have  annexed  hereto  the  latest  tabular  statement  of 
the  condition  of  their  schools.    (See  Appendix  B.) 

The  desire  of  the  Indians  for  schools  is  one  of  the  most  significant 
indications  of  the  progress  towards  imiirovement,  which,  however  slow, 
does  certainly  exist.  Those  who  are  best  informed  in  regard  to  them 
agree  in  saying  they  so  far  appreciate  the  blessings  of  civilization  that 
even  such  of  them  as  prefer  for  themselves  the  wild  freedom  of  a  sav- 
age life  are  anxious  that  their  children  should  be  educated  like  those 
of  the  white  man.  The  young  people  entertain  more  decidedly  than 
their  seniors  a  proper  sense  of  the  benefits  of  education  ;  and  it  should 
not  be  forgotten  that  in  this  as  well  as  in  every  other  method  of  assimi- 
lation to  the  ways  of  civilized  man,  the  Indians  who  have  adopted 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


w 


and 


Christianity  are,  as  might  well  be  expected,  far  more  prog^ressive,  and 
cling:  less  to  the  ways  lianded  down  to  them  from  their  forefathers  than 
those  who  yet  adhere  to  i)aganism. 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  abstract  presented  hereafter  of  the  chief  recent 
legislation  of  the  Dominion  as  to  Indians,  the  management  of  their  af- 
fairs, subj>.ct  to  the  nsnal  responsibilities  of  the  Canadian  goverinnent, 
is  committed  to  the  "  Indian  branch  of  the  department  of  the  secre- 
tary of  state,"  the  secretary  himself,  now  the  Hon.  H.  S.  Langevin,  who 
is  also  registrar  general,  being  ex  oj^cio^  and  without  additional  salary, 
the  superintendent  general.  The  n'lore  laborious  part  of  the  duties  de- 
volves upon  the  deputy  superintendent,  tlie  Hon.  William  Spragge,  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  valuable  information  and  many  courte- 
sies. An  accountant,  a  corresponding  clerk  and  two  other  clerks,  one 
of  whom  is  a  draughtsman,  constitute  the  remainder  of  the  staff  at 
Ottawa. 

There  are  four  local  superintendencies  or  divisions,  whose  occupants 
are  termed  vice-superintendents,  or  commissioners,  and  receive  salaries 
varying  from  $1,000  to  $1,100  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  their  duties. 
Of  other  ofWcials  enumerated  in  the  report  of  1808  there  are  eighty- 
two,  of  whom  one,  the  physician  under  the  Grand  Hi versuperintendency, 
is  paid  $1,500  yearly.  The  others,  being  inter[)reters,  medical  {ittend- 
ants,  wardens,  sextons,  clerks,  messengers,  «S:c.,  receive  salaries  vary- 
ing from  $800  to  $1,000. 

The  local  affairs  of  the  Indians  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  visit- 
ing superintendents  or  commissioners,  who  see  the  various  bands  or 
tril)es  periodically,  and  personally  divide  among  them  the  annuities 
and  interest  money,  taking,  in  every  case,  the  receipt  of  the  head  of 
the  family  for  the  amount  paid.  In  most  of  the  settlements  is  a  clergy- 
nuiu  or  missionarj,  who  is  usually  present  when  the  mr>ney  is  paid,  as 
also  are  the  interpreter  and  chiefs.  Thus  the  pay-lists  are  amply 
attested. 

The  clergyman,  also,  often  renders  such  assistance  as  is  deemed  desir- 
able in  procuring  the  census,  which  is  taken  when  the  payments  are 
nmde,  and  thus  serves  as  a  guide  for  succeeding  payments  or  distribu- 
tions, and  furnishes  means  of  providing  adequate  statistical  informa- 
tion for  headquarters. 

An  essential  part  of  the  system  is  that  no  changes,  without  important 
and  adequate  causes,  are  made  in  the  officers  with  wlumi  the  Indians 
are  brought  into  communication.  The  Indian  chiefs  themselves  can 
only  be  legally  dei)osed  when  charges  of  intemperance,  immorality,  or 
dishonesty  are  substantiated  against  them  ;  and,  ujwn  a  similar  princi- 
ple, each  local  superintendent  holds  his  otlice  for  life,  unless  he  trans- 
gresses the  rules  of  official  good  behavior.  Thus  the  gov^ernment  pos- 
sesses ample  control  over  him,  and  it  is  the  interest  of  each  officer  to 
(ronsult  the  permanent  welfare  of  the  Indians,  who  are  shrewd  judges  of 
character,  know  very  well  when  they  are  treated  with  justice,  and  soon 
detect  any  hesitation,  laxity,  or  impropriety  in  their  agents.  Those  who 
are  placed  in  the  position  of  these  Indians  are  naturally  suspicious; 
and  in  the  Canadian  trefitment  of  them,  few  points  are  regarded  of 
so  much  moment  as  thjit  every  (me  officially  connected  with  them  must 
be  above  suspicion,  and  so  far  as  practicable  unite  tirmness,  kindness, 
integrity,  and  tact.  The  wards  or  pupils  would  soon  cease  to  regard 
the  government  as  exercising  a  semi-paternal  care  over  them  if  the  con- 
duct of  the  agents  was  not  in  conformity  to  the  same  standard. 

In  1808,  the  receipts  of  the  Indian  branch  were  $180,738  71.  Of  this 
amount,  $41,749  09  were  from  sales  of  land  and  timber,  $101,718  89 


^^ 


ikin^mmf  6\^  imm  fw  BRifisH  irmmr 


from  interest  on  investmenta,  $40,12()  from  annuities  antl  grants. 
The  disbursements  were  $155,H4«  52.  On  June  30,  18(i8,  the  sum  of 
$1,808,201  20  remained  in  tlie  hands  of  the  govennnent  to  tlie  credit 
of  the  Indian  branch.  Great  care  is  taken  to  give  the  Indians  interest 
on  their  money  to  a  date  as  near  as  ])ossible  to  the  time  wlien  they  are 
paid.  They  examine  the  accounts  carefully,  and  explanations,  whenever 
desired,  are  carefully  given  to  them. 

The  character  of  the  special  payments,  contingent  and  incidental  ex- 
penditufivs  by  the  Indian  branch,  is  so  varitms,  iiu;]uding  those  nuule  for 
blankets,  roads,  pensioners,  funerals,  distribution,  &c.,  that  I  have  deemed 
it  best  to  annex  hereto  (see  Apjieiulix  O)  an  account  of  these  expendi- 
tures out  of  the  Upper  Canada.  Indian  funds  for  the  year  ended  Jiuie  30, 
1808.  A  widely  discretionary  power  is  allowed,  but  the  opinion  is  nearly 
or  quite  universal  in  Canada  that  it  is  exercised  with  wise  economy  and 
integrity.  Where  purchases  are  made  for  the  Indians  with  their  own 
money,  great  care  is  taken,  as  in  the  case  of  presents,  that  without  sac- 
liticing  to  mere  appearance  or  luxury,  every  article  furnished  for  their 
use  shall  be  of  sound  sterling  value.  For  instance,  even  in  purchasing 
blankets,  nothing  tlimsy  or  of  bad  wood  is  sent,  and  none  but  those  of 
the  nu>st  substantial  and  comfortable  kind  are  selected. 

In  tJie  year  1807-08  the  government  made  three  hundred  and  fifteen 
sales  of  lands  held  in  trust  for  the  Indians,  and  at  rates  varying  from 
24  cents  to  $100  an  acre;  the  number  of  acres  being  17,003.  The  whole 
of  the  proceeds,  after  deducting  expenses  is  entered  to  the  credit  of  the 
Indians.  Of  the  lands  already  survt^yed  and  surrendered  by  the  Indians 
to  the  government  in  trust  to  be  sold  for  their  benetit,  0,15,050  acres 
remain  unsold.  The  average  value  of  the  different  tracts  varies  from 
$4  08  to  20  cents  per  acre. 

Accounts  are  opened  with  each  band,  credit  being  given  for  revenues, 
and  dednctions  made  for  jiayments  in  such  a  manner  as  is  intelligible 
and  satisfactory  to  the  Indians  themselves. 

Commissioners  appointed  in  1847,  by  the  government  of  Canada,  to 
investigate  Indian  affairs  in  that  province,  give  the  following  opinion  as 
to  th<'  title  to  land : 

"Although  the  Crown  claims  the  territorial  estate  and  eminent 
dominion  in  Canada,  as  in  other  of  the  older  colonies,  it  has,  ever  since 
the  possession  of  the  province,  accoided  to  the  Indians  tlie  right  of  oc- 
cupancy upon  their  old  hunting  grounds,  ami  their  claims  to  compensa- 
tion for  its  surrender,  reserving  to  itself  the  exclusive  privilege  of  treat- 
ing with  them  for  the  surrender  or  purchase  of  any  portions  of  the  laud. 
This  is  distinctly  laid  down  in  the  proclamation  of  1703,  and  the  prin- 
ciple has  since  been  generally  acknowledged  and  rarely  infringed  upon 
bj'  the  government.  The  same  rule  has  been  followed  by  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  who  pay  annuities  for  the  surrender  of  the 
Indian  lands,  to  the  t^xtent  of  about  £140,()00  a  year." 

It  has  been,  and  is,  an  established  rule  with  the  British  Canadian 
government,  to  take  no  land  from  the  Indians  except  with  the  legal 
assent  of  the  band,  tribe,  or  nation  owning  it,  properly  convened  in 
general  council,  held  in  the  presence  of  an  officer  representing  the 
government.  Some  of  the  regulations  on  this  subject  are  more  particu- 
larly set  forth  in  the  abstract  hereinafter  given  of  recent  legislation. 
Even  the  land  originally  allotted  to  the  Six  Nations  was  purchased  from 
its  prior  occupants.  It  is  considered  desirable,  and  the  wish  is  usually 
carried  out,  to  secure,  at  such  surrender  or  cession  of  territory,  the 
presence  of  some  persons  of  well-known  character  and  social  position 
who  are  not  parties  to  the  transaction,  such  as  clergymen  or  officers  of 


MANAGEMENT   OF   IKDIANS   IN  BRITtSl 


the  army  or  navy.  Sometimes  the  consideration  for  the  land  has  been 
paid  when  the  conveyance  was  executed,  but  more  frequently  payment 
has  been  made  in  the  shape  of  annuities,  at  ftxe<l  dates  thereafter,  and 
equally  divided  anion;;  the  men,  Avomen,  nnd  children  of  the  Indian 
venders.  It  seems  that,  in  making;  the  original  or  early  conveyances, 
the  Indians  intended  to  reserve  for  their  own  use  and  o(!<;ui)ation  tracts 
of  sufficient  extent  to  maintain  them,  wholly  or  in  part,  as  hunters.  Tlius, 
when  game  grew  scarce  and  recourse  to  agri<'ulture  became  absolutely 
necessary  for  their  support,  they  foiuid  the  reservations  from  the  original 
cessions  unnecessarily  large,  and  have  frequently  conveyed  to  "  the 
Grown,  in  trust,"  su(;i»  lands  as  they  did  not  require.  Many  of  these 
tracts  have  been  sold,  and  the  sums  realized  from  the  sales,  after  de- 
ducting a  fair  amount  for  the  expenses  incurred  in  msinagement,  have 
been  put  out  at  interest,  which  is  paid  to  the  Indians  lialf  yearly  at  the 
same  time  as  their  annuities. 

In  conveying  lands  which  are  thus  held  by  the  government  in  tnist 
for  the  Indians,  the  patent  issues  from  the  Crown,  in  a  manner  similar 
to  that  followed  in  regard  to  public  lands. 

In  most  eases  the  lands  which  have  been  retained  by  the  Indians  are 
now  sub-divided  into  farm  lots  of  sutlicient  size,  and  one  of  tliem  is 
allotted  to  the  head  of  each  family,  but  they  have  no  power  to  sell  or 
mortgage  these  lands,  which  also,  like  all  other  property  of  the  Indians, 
are  free  from  liability  to  debt. 

All  money  arising  from  the  sale  of  these  Indian  lands  is  paid  into 
bauks  to  the  credit  of  the  receiver  general,  on  account  of  Indian  funds. 

Agents  are  not  allowed  to  retjeive  money.  The  parties  paying  take 
certiticates  of  deposit  from  the  banks  an<l  transmit  them  through  the 
agents  of  the  department. 

Agents  who  have  charge  of  Indian  lands  for  sale  are  required  to  give 
surety  by  bond,  and  to  make  monthly  returns  to  the  sui)erintendent 
general  at  Ottawa. 

In  i)aying  money  from  the  department  official  checks  are  made  pay- 
able to  the  orders  of  all  persons  entitled  to  receive  them. 

Individual  Indians  are  not  allowed  to  (nit  or  dispose  of  timber  on  the 
general  reservation.  It  is  treated  as  belonging  to  their  community,  and 
can  only  be  legally  cut  under  a  license  from  the  superintendent  general, 
or  some  other  officer  authorized  by  him  to  give  one.  A  bonus  in  cash 
is  usually  required  for  the  right  to  cut  the  timber.  Annual  ground-rent 
is  paid,  as  are  also  additional  dues,  in  accordance  with  a  tariff  prepared 
for  the  purpose. 

The  money  realized  from  the  sale  of  the  timber  is  i)laced  at  interest, 
which  becomes  part  of  the  iuconu'  of  the  tribe  owning  the  tract  where 
the  timber  is  cut.  One  half  of  the  dues  is  i)aid  before  the  removal  of 
the  timber,  and  the  rest  is  secured  by  bonds,  with  sureties,  and  ps>id 
within  six  months  from  date.  '  • 

A  fun<l  styled  "  the  management  fund''  has  l)een  (jreated  out  of  the 
percentage  deducted  for  the  cost  of  taking  charge  of  the  Indian  land 
and  timber,  &c.  From  it  assistance  is  oc(tasionally  rendered  to  build 
school-houses,  or  alleviate  distress  from  such  casualties  as  extensive  tires 
in  the  woods,  or  sickness ;  or  whenever  it  becomes  necessary  to  furnish 
seed-grain,  agricultural  implements,  provisions,  or  other  supplies. 

The  same  fund  is  also  used  to  defray  the  cost  of  medicine  and  medical 
attendance,  and  in  making  advances  for  carrying  on  surv€\ys. 

A  few  pensions,  amounting  annually,  in  the  aggregate,  to  about  $4,000, 
are  allowed  by  the  imperial  government  to  some  retired  officers  of  the 
Indian  branch,  and  other  persons. 


While  the  condition  of  pupihij^e  in  wliieli  the  TndiaiiH  are  settled  on 
iiirm»  not  too  near  tlie  busy  (;eiiter«  of  trade  has  undoubtedly  been 
hitliei'to  the  most  favorable  tor  tlie  In<lian,  and  saved  some  of  the  tribes 
from  extinetion,  it  is  reji^arded  in  (Canada  as  merely  the  step  towards  the 
desiretl  end,  and  not  as  the  proper  objeet  of  the  final  policiy  in  regard  to 
them. 

In  1840  that  aecomplished  statesman  the  late  Lord  Elftin,  who  was 
held  in  equal  respect  on  both  sides  of  the  boundarj*  between  Oanadaand 
the  Unite<l  States,  not  only  proclaimed  himself  in  favor  of  withdrawuig 
from  the  hulians  all  presents  tending  to  i)erpetuate  a  liunting  life,  of 
re(piiring  thosct  who  have  reservations  to  make  roads  through  them,  and 
generally  to  assume  their  share  of  the  duties  and  burdens  of  civilization, 
and  of  setting  apart  farming  lots  for  each  family  in  every  reservation, 
but  also  warndy  expressed  his  opinion  that  the  truest  interests  of  the 
Indians  recpiired  that  habits  of  independence  should  be  fostertMl  among 
them,  and  that  the  period  of  tutelnge  should  be  as  nuich  as  possible  cur- 
tailed. Even  at  that  time  hopes  had  been  commonly  entertained,  on  be- 
half of  both  races,  that  such  an  improvement  might  be  made  in  the  con- 
dition of  nniny  ot  the  tribes  as  would  enable  them  to  take  their  places 
among  the  onlinary  population  of  the  country,  and  free  them  from  the 
charges  incident  to  a  constant  and  careful  supervision. 

I  have  not  found  any  single  line  of  more  distinct  demarkalion  between 
the  past  and  present  policy  of  British  statesmen  than  that  presented  by 
a  comparison  of  these  recommendations  made  by  Lord  Elgin  with  those 
urged  forty-three  years  previously,  A.  D.  1800,  by  the  J3uke  of  North- 
umberland, in  a  letter  to  his  friend.  Captain  Brant.  The  Mohawk  chief- 
tain was  then  engaged  in  encouraging  the  spread  of  civilization  and 
Christianity  among  his  people,  with  all  the  power  of  his  strenuous  ex- 
ertions and  influential  example.  The  duke,  imbued  with  the  barbaric 
spirit  of  a  feudal  aristocracy,  spared  no  force  of  words  in  recommending 
the  Indians  never  to  be  changed  "from  hunters  and  warriors  into  hus- 
bandmen." He  regarded  tilling  the  earth  as  a  most  injurious  enervation 
of  the  young  men.  "  Nine  hundred  or  a  thousand  warriors,  inured  to 
hardship  by  hunting,  are,"  said  he,  "  a  most  respectable  and  independent 
body ;  but  what  would  the  same  number  of  men  become  who  were  merely 
husbandmen  ?"  Happily  for  his  own  reputation  ami  the  welfare  of  the 
Six  Nations,  the  Indians  did  not  listen  to  these  suggestions,  and  the 
earnest  remonstrances  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland  remain  on  record 
as  a  monument  of  errors  otherwise  passing  into  oblivion. 

In  1857  a  memorable  act  was  passed  for  the  promotion  of  the  objects 
recommended  by  Lord  Elgin,  and  in  1858  three  well  selected  commis- 
sioners, who  had  been  appointed  "  to  incpiire  into  and  report  upon  the 
best  means  of  securing  the  lu'ogress  and  civilization  of  the  Indian  tribes 
in  Canada,  and  on  the  best  mode  of  so  managing  the  Indian  property  as 
to  seiHire  its  full  beneflt  to  the  Indians  without  impeding  the  settlement 
of  the  country,"  laid  belVu'e  the  public  the  conclusions  at  which  they  had 
arrived. 

Tlit^  commissioners  found  that  the  relations  of  Great  Britain  with  the 
Indians  had  changed  very  materially  within  the  flfteen  years  preceding 
the  date  of  the  report.  They  state  tliat  the  alterations  were  rather  the 
carrying  out  of  a.  system  of  policy  i)reviously  determined  on,  than  the 
results  of  any  new  ideas.  The  object  of  the  system  had  long  been  to 
wean  the  Indian  from  perpetual  dependence  on  the  government ;  and 
successive  years  even  taen  showed  an  increasing  loosening  of  the  tie  to 
which  the  aborigines  clung.  Many  of  the  officers  appointed  to  watch 
over  their  interests  had  been  removed,  and  the  vacancies  were  not  tilled 


mmmmmmmmmtmmtmm^^^ 


up.  T\u'  nniinnl  presoiits  had  then  recently  been  withdrawn,  and  the 
Indian  department  was  iM'inj;  gradually  h'tt  to  its  own  resources.  All 
apiuehension  of  insubordination  or  warfare  was  even  then  so  far  at  an 
end  that  the  danjrerto  b*^  feared  ai>i>eared  to  be  lest,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  Indians,  liavin;>:  been  a<;eu8tonied  to  look  to  their  superintendents 
and  officers  for  advice,  assistance,  and  protection  in  the  most  trivial 
matters  of  ordinary  occurrence,  shoidd,  on  the  total  withdrawal  of  j;uar- 
dianship,  be  too  much  influenced  by  their  natural  apathy,  or  be  led  to 
abandon  themselves  to  despair. 

The  chief  ]K)int  ury:ed  by  the  coniniissu)ners  was  the  necessity  of 
measin-esof  coiu'cntration  for  the  economical  suju'rintendence  and  jirad- 
ual  civilization  of  the  Indian  tribes.  In  support  of  this  y'ww  they  iu«ed, 
anjonj>-  other  reasons,  that  tlie  Indians  vmiU\  oidy  be  rescued  from  a 
8emi-savaj;e  and  imi)overished  condition  by  bein^"  settled  on  thidr  own 
farms  as  i>ermanent  homes.  They  rejiarde*!  the  practice  of  frequent 
removal  as  very  injurious,  because  "the  Indian,  naturally  averse  to  labor, 
cannot  be  induccfi  to  exert  himself,  while  he  feelf  that  he  may  any  <lay 
be  deprived  of  the  laml  on  whicb  he  is  located ;  and  while  his  conj^enital 
restlessness  is  stren^theiu'd  by  the  chanj»e  of  domi(rih%  his  jiieediness 
for  the  nu'ans  of  f»Tatifyinj»-  the  whim  of  the  moment  is  fostered  by  the 
large  sum  of  ready  mom\y  jjromised  to  him  to  gain  his  ac<piies(!ence  in 
the  nu)ve.  This  cherishes  his  habit  of  relying  on  other  s(MU'ces  than  his 
own,  and  of  imprudently  contracting  debts  whereby  he  becomes  the  vic- 
tim of  the  rai>a(*ious  trader." 

Among  tlieir  other  recommendations  was  the  api>ointnuMit  of  local 
agents,  to  be  chosen  from  respectable  yeomen,  who  ought  t(>  instrmrt 
the  band  to  which  they  wouUl  be  attached  in  farming,  receive  no  money, 
nor  dispose  of  land,  but,  by  adding  the  tbrce  of  example  to  the  influence 
of  advice,  aid  the  Indians  in  their  advancic  towards  civilizaticm.  The 
commissioners  clearly  traced  the  beneficial  effects  of  a  similar  system, 
especially  in  the  prosperity  of  sonie  of  the  tribes  on  the  Upper  Ht.  Law- 
rence. 

.TVTot  only  the  testimony  of  the  <*ommissiom'rs,  but  ulso,  as  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  discover,  that  of  all  who  are  familiar  with  tlu^  history 
and  condition  of  the  Indians  in  Canada,  is  adverse  to  their  isolation  in 
small  tribes  or  ban<ls  separate  and  remote  from  each  otlu'r.  In  such  a 
state  th<>y  are  exposed  to  the  evil  influences  of  too  freciueiit  contact  with 
the  white  race,  and  by  no  means  the  most  worthy  nuMubers  of  it,  before 
they  have  attained  the  proportion  of  civilization  and  moral  stamina 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  avoid  the  evil  and  adoi)t  the  better  (exam- 
ples set  prematurely  before  them.  Their  marvelous  and  characteristic' 
passion  for  what  is  truly  to  them  burning  an<l  destroying  ''lire  water,"' 
finds  too  often  an  opi>ortunity  for  gratifi<'ation.  Profligacy  of  other 
kinds  is  encouraged.  Tliey  are  not  respected  by  their  white  neighbors; 
and  the  sense  of  self-resjiect  essential  to  their  nunal  and  intellectual, 
and  hence  to  their  physi(*al  well-being,  ami  kept  alive  when  they  asso 
ciate  more  generally  with  their  acknowledged  equals,  is  ojjpressed  and- 
worn  out  by  daily  intercourse  with  those  whom  they  iK'rceive  to  be  nuue 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  circun>stances  to  which  all  must  conform.  Va- 
rious forms  of  disease,  including  scrofula,  consumption,  and  other  indi- 
cations of  degenerjujy,  are  presented,  with  a  frequency  attributable  not 
only  to  the  causes  already  mentioned,  but  to  the  constant  intermarriages 
thus  rendered  almost  inevitable  between  kindred. 

The  unauthorized  intrusion  of  white  men  among  the  Indian  settle- 
ments has  been  found  injurious  to  the  progress  of  civilization.  8uch 
stragglers  are  usually  people  of  dissolute  habits,  and  proselytize  the 


*p 


'MABIAUJilMENT  OF  INDIANS  IN  BRITISH  AMERICA. 


Indians  to  vices.  Hence  the  Canadian  law  proliibits  all  persons  who 
are  not  Indians,  or  intermarried  with  Indians,  from  settling  upon  or 
occupying-  Indian  lands  ;  and  under  this  law,  the  officers  of  the  depart- 
ment remove  intruders. 

The  same  law  is  applicable  to  an  enervating  and  pernicious  practice 
among  the  Indians,  of  giving  the  cultivation  of  their  farms  to  white 
settlers  on  shares.  This  system  has  sometimes  been  one  of  the  chief 
impe<liments  to  tlie  su(;cess  of  ladian  agriculture.  The  disinclination  of 
Indians  having  the  habits  and  sentiments  of  men  who  live  by  the  chase 
to  adopt  habits  of  continuous  industry  has  its  parallel  among  men  of 
our  own  race  who  have  never  been  actcustonunl  to  hard  labor,  and  leads 
many  to  accept  otters  to  work  their  farms  on  shares,  thus  taking  away 
the  necessary  stimuhis  or  spur  to  exertion  by  giving  them  an  opportu- 
nity of  subsisting,  though  miserably,  while  leading  a  life  of  idleness. 

Mr.  Spragge,  the  deputy  superintendent,  unequivocally  condemns 
this  ijractice,  and  says  :  "It  engenders  habits  opposed  to  teniperateand 
virtuous  living,  and  conduces  to  that  demoralization  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree  which  tlie  absence  of  occupation  occasions  to  people  of  whatso- 
ever race  and  blood  they  may  be.  To  etfect  improvement  we  must  then 
break  up  the  noxious  system  out  of  which  so  much  evil  grows,  No  true 
civilization  can  i>revail  apart  from  labor,  either  physical  or  mental,  and 
with  the  former  must  some  at  least  of  the  latter  be  combined,  in  order 
that  with  labor,  skill  may  go  hand  in  hand.  And  as  regards  our 
present  subject,  that  agriculture  may  be  practiced  as  a  science,  it  is  im- 
portant that  the  Indian  i)eople  shall  be  educated  for  it,  that  it  be 
encouraged  in  every  ])ossible  way,  and  that  the  policy  to  be  pursued  be 
such  as  to  dissuade  the  Indians  from  its  neglect.  The  act  13  and  14 
Victoria,  Chap.  7(5,  section  10,  prohibits  any  persons  otiun-  than  Indians, 
or  intermarried  with  the  Indians,  from  settling  upon  oroccupying  Indian 
lands.  Under  this  law,  the  officers  of  the  department  do  remove  intru- 
ders; and,  with  a  view  to  terminate  the  enervating  and  pernicious 
practice  of  associating  white  settlers  on  the  occupancy  of  their  laiuls, 
and  giving  over  the  cultivation  of  the  farms  to  them  in  shares,  the  law 
may  effectually  be  invoked;  giving,  however,  beforehand,  due  notice 
to  those  conceriu'd,  that  the  existing  arrangements  must  be  terminated. 
At  a  lirst  view,  this  may  be  regarded  as  a  harsh  i)roceeding.  lint  when 
it  is  consi<lered  that  the  system  shuts  out  the  younger  menjbers  of  an 
Indian  family  from  useful  emi)loynu'nt,  and  enforces  ujxm  them  idleness 
with  its  tendeiu'y  to  dissipation,  the  necessity  for  insisting  upon  the 
abolition  of  farming  on  shares  becomes  obvious." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  remark  that  many  of  the  evils  I  have  indicated 
are  more  easily  avoided  on  large  settlements  of  Indians  under  caretul, 
systematic  and  scrupulous  supervision,  than  when  left  to  the  unassisted 
oi>eration  of  laws  frequently  evaded  among  snudl  bands  or  tribes 
remote  from  each  other  and  exposed  to  the  intluenceof  dissolute  whites. 

Until  a  very  recent  date  the  power  ot  the  (ihiefs  over  their  mitions  or 
tribes  has  been  merely  that  of  moral  suasion,  excei»t  so  far  as  the  ordi- 
nary laws  of  Canada,  or  the  Indian  branch  of  the  de])artnu»nt  of  State, 
might  maintain  their  views.  But  the  interference  of  the  department 
ai»pears  to  be  never  exerted  excei»t  for  reasonable  ]mrposes.  1  tind  an 
instance  of  its  operation  in  the  case  of  Kitchie  r»ai)tiste,  an  Indian  and 
a  chief  of  an  united  band  of  Chippe  vas  and  Ottawas,  who  is  officially 
described  as  having  been  "  for  many  years  ])ast  a  ])eaceable,  loyal,  and 
well-disposed  subject,  but  by  lawless  and  misguided  nu»n,  with  force  and 
vioh'nce,  dispossessejl  of  his  land  and  of  his  house  and  improvements 
theret)n,"  and  driven  to  removal.    A  royal  proclamation  was  issued  or- 


MANAGEMENT   OF 


iiJdian 


S   IN  BRITISH   AMERICA. 


W 


dering  that  he  be  immediately  reinstated  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  pro- 
perty, and  the  offenders  were  reminded  that  they  "  are,  in  common  Avith 
all  others,  our  subjects,  amenable  and  subject  to  the  laws  of  our  pro- 
vince, and  that  any  intraction  or  violation  thereof  will  be  fully  and  duly 
prosecuted  and  punished  according  to  our  said  laws." 

Advantage  was  taken  of  the  occasion  to  insist  upon  perfect  freedom 
of  debate,  by  "  proclaiming  and  declaring  that  at  all  councils  of  Indi- 
ans, duly  convened  tor  the  transaction  of  business,  every  Indian  who 
may  be  a  member  of  the  tribe  or  band  holding  sucli  council  and  then 
present  thereat,  shall  be  permitted  the  free  expression  of  his  ojiinion  on 
anj'  matters  brought  under  consideration  of  such  council,  un«listurbed 
by  any  interference,  intimidation,  or  threat  in  respect  thereof."  The 
proclamation  was  printed  in  the  form  of  handbills,  both  in  the  English 
and  the  Chippewa  language,  and  distributed  among  the  Indians. 

By  recent  legislation  tlie  appointment  of  the  chiefs  may,  if  the  gov- 
ernor so  direct,  be  made  by  popular  election,  each  holding  his  place  for 
the  term  of  three  years;  but  this  law  does  not  interfere  with  the  present 
chiefs.  In  further  pursuance  of  the  policy  of  educating  the  Indians  to 
self-government,  and  terminatin  -  their  political  childhood,  an  act  passed 
during  the  present  year  em]>owered  them  to  frame  rules  and  regula- 
tions on  several  imporU;nt  subjecjts,  jnovided  such  rules  an<l  regulations 
are  confirmed  by  the  governor  general,  as  may  be  seen  on  reference  to 
the  synopsis  of  the  act  given  in  tliis  report. 

The  common  desire  to  assimilate  the  Indians  to  the  other  ])o]mlation 
of  Canada  found  a  memorable  expression  in  "  An  act  {20  Vict.,  Cap. 
XXVI)  to  encourage  the  gradual  civilization  of  the  Indian  triln's  in  this 
l)rovir«(;e,"  which  received  the  royal  assent  10th  June,  1857.  Its  avowed 
purpose  was  sdso  defined  in  the  preamble  to  be  the  "  gradual  removal  of 
all  legal  distinctions  between  them  and  her  Majesty's  other  Canndian 
subjects,  and  to  facilitate  the  accjuisition  of  property,  and  of  the  rights 
accomi)anying  it,  by  such  individual  mend>ers  of  the  said  tribes  as  shall 
be  foun<l  to  desire  such  encouragement  and  to  have  deserved  it." 

The  act  defined  who  slnmld  be  regarded  as  Indians  and  entitled  to  the 
special  benefit  of  a  i)revious  "  act  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians  in 
Upper  Canada  from  imi>osition,  and  the  i)roperty  occupied  or  enjoyed  by 
them  from  trespass  or  injury."  It  enacted  that  every  msile  Indian  not 
under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  who  is  able  to  s])e{dv,  r.'ad,  and  wiite 
either  the  English  or  the  French  language  n'adily  and  well,  and  is  suffi- 
ciently advanced  in  the  elementary  branches  of  education,  and  is  of  good 
moral  character,  and  fr(»e  from  debt,  may  offer  himself  for  examination 
to  three  commissioners  appointed  ihv  that  purpose,  one  of  whom  is  the 
superintendent  of  his  tribe,  another  its  missionary,  and  the  third  an 
appointee  of  the  governor.  If  they  reijort  favorably  to  the  a])plication 
the  governor  may  give  notice  in  the  Oflicial  Cazette  of  the  <'nfVanchise- 
ment  of  such  Indian,  between  whose  rights  and  liabilities  ami  those  of 
her  Majesty's  other  subjects  no  past  enactments  must  thenceforth  make 
any  distinction,  and  he  is  no  longer  legally  d<'emed  to  be  an  Indian. 

Provision  was  also  nunle  by  which  Indians  over  twenty-one,  but  not 
over  forty  years  of  age,  anil  who  can  neither  read  nm*  write,  but  can 
speak  English  or  French  readily,  and  are  of  sober  and  imlustrious  hab- 
its, free  from  debt,  and  sutticiently  intelligent  to  manage  their  own 
affairs,  might  enter  upon  a  state  of  three  years'  probation,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  commissioners,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  might,  with  the 
apjn'oval  of  the  commissioners  and  governor,  be  enfranchised.  Notice  of 
such  enfranchisement  iMMUg  given  in  the  Ofhcial  (iazette. 

Such  enfranchised  Indan  would  be  entitled  to  not  more  than  fifty  acres 


TWF 


MAfHAUilMUNT  Ol'  INDIANH  HH   BHlTiaH  AMUUiei'. 


out  of  the  land  set  apart  for  the  use  of  his  tribe,  and  to  receive  in  money 
a  sum  equal  to  the  principal  of  his  share  in  the  annuities  and  yearly 
revenues  of  his  tribe.  By  acquiring  the  rights  of  a  white  man,  he  would 
cease  to  have  any  voice  in  the  proceedings  of  the  tribe,  and  by  receiving 
the  land  and  money  he  would  forego  all  further  claim  to  the  land  or 
money  of  his  tribe,  except  a  proportional  share  in  other  lands  which  such 
tribe  might  thereafter  sell. 

The  wife,  widow,  and  lineal  descendants  of  such  enfranchised  Indian 
woukl  also  be  enfranchised,  but  under  certain  provisions  remain  entitled 
to  their  respective  shares  of  all  annuities  or  annual  sums  payable  to  the 
tribe.  Such  Indian  would  only  have  a  life  estate  in  his  land,  but  might 
dispose  of  it  by  will  to  any  of  his  descendants,  and  if  he  died  intestate 
they  would  inherit  it.  His  estate  therein  was  liable  for  his  debts,  but 
he  could  not  otherwise  tdienate  or  mortgage  his  estate  therein. 

The  same  Jict  provided  that  Indian  reserves  or  any  part  of  them  might 
be  attached  to  school  districts  or  sections. 

The  a(;t  of  1857  was  repealed  in  1850,  when  another  act  (Cap.  IX, 
22  Vict.)  was  passed  respecting  the  civilization  and  enfranchisement  of 
Indians.  This  was  one  of  the  consolidated  statutes,  and  adopted  the 
main  provisions  of  the  previous  act,  but  was  repealed  bv  the  general 
act  of  18C8.     (Cap.  VI,  ;i2-;J3,  ^  ict.  s.  23.) 

In  1808,  "  an  act"  (.'U  Vict.,  C  ap.  XLII)  was  pas.sed  "  providing  for  the 
organization  of  the  department  of  the  secretary  of  state  of  Canada, 
and  for  the  better  management  of  Indian  and  ordnance  lands."  This 
and  the  supplementary  enactment  of  the  following  year  are  liberal  in 
their  spirit,  comprehensive  in  the  views  they  evolve,  and  so  much  intel- 
ligence and  careful  scrutiny  are  disj>hiyed  in  their  details  that  I  am  un- 
able to  comjjly  with  the  request  to  give  proper  othcial  information  in 
regard  to  the  treatment  of  the  Indians,  and  the  measurv^s  to  bring  them 
into  the  habits  of  civilization  in  liritish  Xorth  Anu*rica,  without  pre- 
senting an  abstract  of  botli  acts,  as  briefly  as  the  subject  will  permit. 

By  the  ac't  of  18(»8,  the  secretary  of  state  is  also  registrar  general  aiul 
superintendent  general  of  Indian  affairs,  and  has  the  control  and  nmn- 
agement  of  Indian  affairs  in  Canada. 

It  was  enacted  that  all  laiuls  reserved  or  held  in  trust  for  Indians 
should  continue  to  be  held  for  the  same  purposes  as  before,  but  subject 
to  the  i)rovisions  of  this  act,  and  should  not  be  alienated  or  leased  until 
surrendered  to  the  Crown  for  the  purposes  of  this  act. 

All  moneys  or  securities  belonging  to  the  Indians  reiuain  applicable  as 
before,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

I^o  land  belonging  to  any  Indians  or  indivi<lual  Indian  can  be  legally 
surrendered  withcmt  consent  of  the  chief  or  a  majority  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  tribe,  formally  sumnumeil  and  held  in  the  presence  of  the  secretary 
of  state,  or  an  ofticer  duly  authorized  to  attend  such  council  by  the 
governor  general  i»r  the  secretary  of  state,  and  no  chief  or  Indian  shall 
vote  or  be  jnesent  at  such  ctumcil  unless  he  habitually  resides  on  or  near 
the  land  in  (piestion. 

The  fact  of  such  surrender  must  be  certified  on  oath  before  some  judge 
of  a  superior  county  or  district  court,  by  the  ofhcers  appointed  to  attend 
the  council,  and  by  one  of  the  chiefs  then  present,  and  be  transmitted 
to  the  secretary  of  state,  and  submitted  to  the  governor  in  council  for 
accepthUi'e  or  refusal. 

No  intoxicating  li(iuors  of  any  kind  are  to  be  introduced  at  such  In- 
dian council,  and  any  person  who  intrcxluces  any  such  lijpuM'  at  such 
meeting,  and  any  agent  or  otticial  employed  by  the  secretary  of  state  or 


the  governor  in  council,  who  shall  introduce  or  countenance  by  his  pres- 
ence the  use  of  su<!h  liquors  a  week  before  it,  or  a  week  after  such  coun- 
cil, shall  be  fined  $200,  half  to  go  to  the  informer. 

No  surrender  otherwise  invalid  is  confirmed  by  this  act. 

The  governor  in  council  may,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  act, 
direct  the  application  of  Indian  moneys,  and  provide  for  the  nmnage- 
ment  of  Indian  lands,  money,  and  property,  and  also  of  expenses  of 
management,  roads,  and  schools. 

A  penalty  of  twenty  dollars  for  each  offense  of  giving  or  selling  spiritu- 
ous liquor  of  any  kind  is  enacted,  one-half  to  go  to  the  informer,  the 
other  to  the  governmental  fund,  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribe  in  regard  to 
any  member  of  which  the  offense  was  committed.  Exceptions  are  made 
in  cases  of  sickness,  if  such  liquor  is  given  under  the  advice  of  a  medi- 
cal nuui  or  clergyman. 

No  pawns  for  spiritous  liquors  can  be  retained  from  Indians. 

No  presents  given  to  any  Indians,  nor  any  property  purchased  by 
means  of  annuities  granted  to  Indians,  can  be  liable  for  debt. 

The  legal  definition  of  "  Indians  "  is  declared  to  be — 

Firstly.  All  persons  of  Indian  blood  reputed  to  belong  to  the  particu- 
lar tribe,  band,  or  body  of  Indians  interested  in  the  lands  and  other  im- 
movable property  belonging  to  or  appropriated  to  the  use  of  that  tribe, 
and  the  descendants  of  such  jiersons. 

Secondly.  All  who  reside  among  such  Indians,  an<l  whose  parents 
were  or  are,  or  either  of  them  was  or  is,  descended  on  either  side  from 
Indians  oi  an  Indian  reputed  to  belong  to  the  particular  tribe,  band,  (u* 
body  of  Indians  interested  in  such  lands  or  immovable  proi)erty,  and 
the  descendants  of  all  such  persons. 

Thirdly.  All  women  lawfully  married  to  any  of  the  i^ersons  included 
in  the  several  classes  already  designated,  tlie  children,  issue  of  such 
marriages,  and  their  descendants. 

If  the  secretary  of  state,  or  su(!h  person  as  he  may  authorize,  shall  so 
direct,  luilians  an<l  persons  residing  on  Indian  lands  areliabU'  tor  labor 
on  jmblic  roads  in,  through,  or  abutting  upon  such  lands,  subject  to 
regulations  similar  to  those  regarding  road  labor  by  other  inhabitants 
of  the  province. 

None  but  persons  deemed  Indians  uniy  settle  on  Indian  lands  or  the 
roads  leading  through  them,  .and  all  Indian  leases  permitting  such  resi- 
dence are  void.     Special  ]>rovision  is  made  for  removing  sucli  intruders. 

In  certain  cases,  penalties  may  be  enforced  for  cutting  timber  or  re- 
moving stone  from  Indian  lands. 

Misnomers  are  not  to  invalidate  writs,  wan'ants,  «S:c. 

Sherifis,  jailers,  and  peace  officers  are  to  obey  onh'rs  under  the  act, 
and,  when  reasonably  required,  assist  in  the  execution  thereof. 

In<lians  have  the  same  rights  as  other  persons  in  regard  to  land  taken 
for  railways  or  pul)lic  works.  The  se<'retary  of  state  acts  lor  them,  and 
money  awarded  is  paid  to  the  receiver  general  on  behalf  ol"  the  body  of 
Indians  f(n'  whose  beiu'fit  such  land  was  held. 

Provision  is  made  for  assimilating  the  laws  of  Lower  Cana<la  with  this 
act. 

In  all  cases  of  encroachment  upon  Indian  lands,  i>roceedings  may  be 
taken  by  information,  in  the  name  of  the  Crown,  in  the  sjiperior  courts 
of  law  or  equity. 

The  governor  may  order  surveys,  plans,  and  reports,  as  to  Indian  re- 
serves. 

The  proceeds  from  the  sale  or  lease  of  any  Indian  lands,  or  from  the 


^T 


MANAGEMENT   OP   INDIANS  IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


timber  on  8iicli  lands,  must  be  paid  to  the  receiver  general  to  the  credit 
of  the  Indian  fund. 

Provision  is  made  for  conforming  Indian  affairs  in  Nova  Scotia  and 
New  Brunswick,  regarding  hinds  and  monej'S,  to  the  requirement  of  this 
act. 

Nothing  in  the  act  is  to  aft'ect  the  provisions  of  the  act  entitled  "An 
act  re8[)e{'ting  the  c^ivilization  and  enfranchisement  of  certain  Indians," 
so  far  as  respects  the  Indians  of  Quebec  and  Ontario,  nor  of  any  other 
act  when  not  inconsistent  with  the  act  under  consideration. 

Certain  [jowers  and  <luties  vested  with  regard  to  ordnance  and  admi- 
Fcalty  lan<ls  in  the  (!omniissioner  of  the  Crown  lands  are  vested  in  the 
secretary  of  state,  and  the  governor  general  in  council  may  apply  such 
powers,  «S:c.,  to  the  Indian  lands  in  Quebec  or  Ontario,  and  may  repeal 
su(;h  onlers. 

The  governor  in  council  may  make  regulations  as  to  Indian  lands  and 
timber  cut  from  them,  and  impose  tines  for  breach  thereof,  but  without 
impairing  other  remedies. 

All  onlers  in  council  must  be  published  in  the  Canadian  Gazette,  and 
such  i)ubli(';ition  is  prima  facie  evidence  of  such  orders. 

The  governor  in  council  may,  at  any  time,  assign  any  of  the  duties 
thus  vested  in  the  secretary  of  state  to  any  other  member  of  the  Queen's 
privy  coun<*il,  in  Canada,  and  the  secretary  of  state  is  required  annually 
to  lay  before  Parliament,  within  ten  days  after  the  meeting  thereof,  a 
report  of  the  proceedings,  transactions,  and  affairs  of  the  department 
during  the  year  then  next  [>receding. 

The  careful  and  in(!reased  attention  to  the  condition  of  the  Canadian 
Indians  was  further  evinced  by  the  passage  of  the  elaborate  act  (Cap. 
VI,  32,  'Mi  Vict.,  18G1>)  entitled  "An  act  for  the  gradual  enfrancliisement 
of  Indians,  the  better  management  of  Indian  affairs,  and  to  extend  the 
provisions  of  the  act  'M  Victoria,  Cap  42." 

By  this  act  no  Indian  or  person  claiming  to  be  of  Indian  blood,  or 
intermarried  with  an  Indian  family,  shall  be  deemed  in  lawful  possession 
of  Indian  lan<l,  unless  located  for  it  by  order  of  the  sui)erintendent 
general  of  Indian  affairs;  but  such  land  is  not  by  such  location  title 
rendered  transterable  or  subje(?t  to  seizure,  although  the  occupier  is 
liable  to  be  ejected  from  the  land,  unless  a  location  title  be  granted  to 
him  within  six  months  from  the  iiassage  of  this  act.  Proceedings  of 
ejectnuMit  are  similar  to  those  in  certain  other  cases. 

Very  strict  provision  is  made  for  imprisoning  any  person,  when  con- 
victed in  the  manner  i)rovided  by  the  previous  act,  who  directly  or  indi- 
rectly may,  in  any  way,  dispose  of  any  intoxicating  liquor  to  any  Indian, 
or  has  kei)t  a  tavern,  or  other  building,  where  such  liquor  is  so  sold  or 
disi>ose<l  of,  unh'ss  he  ])ay  the  i>rescribed  line ;  and  the  commander  of 
any  steamer,  or  otJier  vessel  or  boat,  from  on  board  or  on  board  of 
whicli  any  intoxicating  li<pior  has  been  so  disposed  of  is  made  liable  to 
a  simihir  jtenalty. 

In  dividing  annuity  money,  interest  money,  or  rents,  no  ]>erson  of  less 
than  one-lbnrtli  Indian  blood  shall  receive  a  share,  after  certificate  as  to 
his  being  less  tlur  one-fourth  Indian  blood  is  given  by  the  chief  or 
chiefs  of  the  band  in  council,  and  sanctioned  by  the  superintendent 
general. 

Any  Indian  <'<mvicted  of  crime  ceases,  during  his  imprisonment  for 
the  same,  to  participate  in  the  annuities,  &c.,  ]myable  to  his  tribe,  and 
when  thus  imprisomnl  in  the  penitentiary,  or  other  place  of  confinement, 
the  legal  costs  of  conviction  and  ('arrying  out  the  sentence  shall  be  paid 
out  of  money  coming  to  said  Indian,  or  his  baud  or  tribe. 


MANAOEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


W 


Iiu.  a  women  marryinioj  other  than  Indians,  and  the  chiUlren  of  such  a 
maiTiage,  cease  to  be  Indians  within  the  meaning  of  seetion  15, 31  Vict., 
Cap.  42;  and  any  Indian  woman  marrying  into  a  ditfeient  tribe  or  band 
of  Indians  becomes  exchisively  a  member  of  her  husband's  tribe,  &c., 
as  also  do  the  chihlren  of  such  marriage. 

In  case  of  desertion  of  wife  or  chihl  the  superintendent  general  may 
apply  the  share  of  such  deserter  in  annuity  and  interest  money  to  the 
support  of  the  woman  and  child  so  deserted. 

Where  Indians  neglect  to  provide  for  their  sick  or  disabled,  or  aged 
or  infirm  i)ersons,  the  superintendent  general  may  so  provide  out  of  the 
funds  of  the  tribe  in  question. 

Children  of  an  Indian  inherit  his  right  and  title  held  under  the  loca 
tion  laws,  together  with  his  goods  and  chattels,  on  ''condition  of  provid- 
ing for  the  maintenance  of  th'  ir  najther,  if  living."  Such  children  have 
only  a  life  estate,  neither  transferable  nor  subject  to  seizure  under  legal 
process;  but  if  such  Indian  die  without  issue  all  such  property  goes  to 
the  Crown  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribe,  after  prt  viding  for  the  support  of 
the  widow,  if  any. 

The  governor  may  order  that  the  chiefs  of  any  tribe,  band,  or  body  of 
Indians  sliall  be  elected  by  the  male  members  of  such  Indian  settlement 
of  the  full  age  of  tAventy-one  years,  at  such  time  and  place  and  in  su(;li 
manner  as  the  superintendent  general  of  Indian  attairs  may  direct,  and 
they  shall  in  such  case  be  elected  for  a  period  of  three  years,  unless  de- 
posed by  the  governor  for  dishonesty,  intemperance,  ov  immorality,  and 
shall  be  in  the  proportion  of  one  chief  and  two  second  chiefs  for  every 
two  hundred  i^eople,  but  any  such  band  composed  of  thirty  people  may 
have  a  chief;  provided  always  that  life  chiefs  now  living  shall  continue 
as  such  until  death  or  resignation,  or  until  their  removal  by  the  governor 
for  dishoriesty,  intemperance,  or  immorality. 

The  chief  or  chiefs  of  any  tribe  or  band  of  Indians  are  bound  to  cause 
the  roa<ls,  bridges,  ditches,  and  fences  within  their  reserve  to  be  in 
proper  order,  in  accordance  with  instructions  from  the  superintendent 
general,  who  in  case  of  neglect  has  a  discretionary  power  to  cause  the 
work  to  be  done  at  the  cost  of  the  particular  community  or  Indian  in 
default,  as  the  case  may  be,  either  out  of  their  annual  allowances  or 
otherwise. 

The  chief  or  chiefs  of  anj*  tribe  in  (council  may  frame,  subject  to  con- 
firmation from  the  governor  in  council,  rules  and  regulations  for — 

1.  The  care  of  the  public  health. 

2.  The  observance  of  order  and  decorum  at  assemblies  of  the  people 
in  general  council,  or  on  other  occasions. 

3.  The  repression  of  intemi)erance  an<l  i)rotligacy. 

4.  The  [)revention  of  trespass  by  cattle. 

r>.  The  mainteimnce  of  roads,  bridges,  and  ditches. 

(J.  The  construction  and  maintaining  in  repair  of  school-houses,  council- 
houses,  and  other  Indian  public  buildings. 

7.  The  establishment  of  pounds  and  the  appointment  of  pound 
keepers. 

The  governor  general  in  council  nuiy,  on  the  rejjort  of  the  superin- 
tendent general  of  Indian  afi'airs,  order  the  issue  of  letters  patent 
granting  to  any  Indian  who,  from  the  degree  of  civilizatitm  to  which  he 
has  attained,  and  the  character  for  sobriety  and  integrity  which  he 
bears,  appears  to  be  a  safe  and  suitable  pc'rson  for  becoming  a  proprie- 
tor of  lands,  a  life  estate  in  the  land  allotted  to  him  within  the  reserve 
of  his  tribe,  and  such  Indian  may  dispose  of  the  laud  by  will  to  any  of 


7VK 

30 


t  *.*-M4a  MM  ».i.mM  in  ^MMM»^  -  I  aixirr-wv^^^ 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN    BRITISH   AMERICA. 


liis  cliildroii,  and  if  he  dies  intestate  as  to  said  land  it  shall  descend  to 
his  children  according;  to  the  laws  of  that  part  of  the  Dominion  in  Avhich 
said  land  is  situate,  and  the  children  to  whom  it  is  so  devised  or  descends 
shall  have  the  fee  simple  thereof. 

Every  sn(}h  Indian  must,  before  issue  of  the  said  letters  patent,  declare 
to  the  suiierintendent  general  a  name  and  surname  by  which  he  wishes 
to  be  enfraiKjhised  and  thereafter  known,  and  on  receiving  such  letters 
patent  he  shall  thereafter  be  known  by  such  name  and  surname, 
and  he  and  his  wife  and  minor  unmarried  children  shall  be  held  to  be 
enfranchised,  and  all  legal  destinctions  between  them  and  ordinary  sub- 
jects cejise,  except  that  tliey  retain  their  right  to  i)articipate  in  the  annui- 
ties and  other  income  of  their  tribe  or  band,  and  except  as  regards  the 
laws  of  the  previous  act  as  to  spirituous  liquors,  and  the  law  of  the 
present  a(;t  as  to  roads,  &c. 

If  any  enfranchised  Indian,  owning  land  as  aforesaid,  dies  without  any 
child,  such  laud  escheats  to  the  Crown  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribe,* 
but  if  he  leaves  a  widow  she  has  it  until  her  death  or  remarriage,  when 
it  escheats  to  the  Crown  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribe. 

The  wife  or  unmarried  daughter  of  such  deceased  Indian,  Avho  may 
through  tliis  act  be  deprived  of  all  benefit  from  her  father's  or  husband's 
land,  shall,  so  long  as  residing  on  the  reserve  of  her  tribe  and  remaining 
unmarried,  receive  tAo  shares  instead  of  one  of  the  annuity,  interest 
money,  or  other  revenues  of  the  husband's  or  father's  band. 

In  allotting  locations  and  issuing  letters  patent  to  Indians  for  land, 
the  quantity  of  land  for  each  shall,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  bear  the  same 
propDrtion  to  the  total  cpiantity  of  land  on  the  reserve  as  the  number  of 
persons  to  whom  such  lands  are  located  bears  to  the  total  number  of 
heads  of  families,  Mud  male  Indians  over  the  age  of  fourteen  years  on 
the  reserve,  except  in  special  cases  to  be  rei)orted  to  the  governor  in 
council. 

If  any  such  enfranchised  Indian  dies,  leaving  any  child  under  twenty- 
one  years,  the  superintendent  general  may  appoint  a  guardian  for  it,  until 
it  attains  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  the  widow  of  such  Indian,  being 
also  the  mother  of  such  child,  shall  receive  its  share  of  the  proceeds  of 
such  Indian,  so  long  as  the  child  remains  a  minor  and  the  widow  con- 
tinues to  reside  on  the  land  left  bj'  such  Indian,  and  in  the  opinion  of 
the  sui)erintendent  general  conducts  herself  respectably. 

Any  Indian  falsely  representing  himself  as  enfranchised  under  this 
act,  is  liable  to  inqnisonment,  not  exceeding  three  months. 

Lands  conveyed  as  aforesaid  by  letters  patent  to  any  enfranchised 
Indian  are,  during  his  lifetime,  exenq)t  from  seizure,  and  cannot  be  in 
any  way  encumbered  or  disposed  of. 

Indians  not  enfranchised  have  the  right  to  sue  for  debt  or  any  wrong 
and  to  c(>m]>el  the  performance  of  obligations  made  with  them. 

The  under  secretary  of  state  is  charge<l  un<ler  the  secretary  of  state 
with  tho  jjerformance  of  the  departn)ental  duties  of  the  secretary  of 
state  under  the  said  act,  and  with  the  control  of  the  enq>loyes  of  the  depart- 
ment and  such  other  powers  and  duties  as  may  be  assigned  to  him  by 
the  govern! a'  in  cimmal. 

Cliai)ter  nine  of  the  consolidated  statutes  of  Caimda  is  repealed. 

It  is  enacted  that  this  act  shall  be  construed  as  one  act  with  the  act 
31  Victoria,  Cap.  XLII. 

Tlu^  two  earliest  of  the  four  acts  seem  to  have  had  a  tendency  to 

*Tlio  word  "trilic"  i.s  Honu>tiiuc!s  used  in  this  report  to  ilonoto  trilio,  nation,  hiuul  or 
body. 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


T 


;ceiid  to 
I  which 
esceuds 

declare 
wishes 
I  letters 
irname, 
Id  to  be 
iry  sub- 
i  aniiui- 
irds  the 
'  of  the 

3ut  any 

tribe,* 

e,  when 

ho  may 
sband's 
inaiuing 
interest 

or  land, 
le  same 
inber  of 
niber  of 
rears  on 
ernor  in 

twenty- 
it,  until 
n,  being 
•eeds  of 
ow  con- 
inion  of 

ler  this 

nchised 
ot  be  in 

r  wrong 

of  state 

etaiy  of 

depart- 

hini  by 

If'd. 
the  act 

lency  to 


detach  the  most  intelligent  and  worthy  individuals  from  their  tribes  and 
absorb  them  in  the  white  population.  The  experiment  failed  from  want 
of  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  whose  general  sentiment 
appears  to  be  that  if  members  of  their  several  communities  should  now 
or  hereafter  avail  themselves  of  permission  to  sell  their  lands,  white 
men  of  a  low  caste  would  flock  in,  and  reside  upon  the  reservations,  and 
introduce  temptations  to  intemperance  and  profligacy. 

The  Indians  who  would  thus  be  enfranchised  and  separated  would  be 
men  of  good  character  and  considerable  intelligence,  who  naturally 
have  influence  in  their  tribe,  and  enjoy  in  it  a  higher  relative  status 
than  they  would  be  likely  to  occupy  among  the  whites,  who  would  pro- 
bably treat  them  as  inferiors.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  it 
appears  that  all  such  plans  for  enfranchisement  and  absorption  are 
likely  to  prove  nugatory,  and  that  the  actual  elevation  of  the  Indians 
might  be  better  attained  by  considering  the  right  to  dispose  of  their 
land  as  a  question  apart  and  distinct  from  enfranchisement,  to  which 
either  the  test  of  property  or  intelligence  might  be  applied,  thus  admit- 
ting the  most  thrifty  of  them  to  the  ordinary  political  rights  of  white 
men,  without  at  the  sanie  time  offering  any  inducement  or  ()pi)ortunity 
for  them  to  renounce  affiliation  with  tlieir  own  people,  whose  prospec^ts 
of  advancement  would  undoubtedly  be  injured  if  legislation  should  result 
in  the  withdrawal  of  the  best  men  from  the  Indian  comnuinities.  The 
tribes  would  thus  gradually  become  little  more  than  sub  inunicii)alities 
or  ])etty  sti  tes,  with  .some  special  characteristics,  but  in  the  main  under 
the  ordinary  laws  of  the  Dominion  at  large. 

The  recently  enacted  plan  of  enfranchisement,  and  permitting  an  In- 
dian to  devise  his  land  to  such  of  his  children  as  he  may  choose,  tends 
to  strengthen  i)aternal  authority  and  the  bonds  of  the  family.  It  seems 
doubtful  if  this  experiment  will  be  more  effective  than  its  predecessors, 
or  is  better  adapted  to  the  actual  state  of  the  case.  The  Indian  father 
may  not  be  desirous  of  conferring  upon  his  children  the  right  to  dispose 
of  their  land.  But  the  humane  motive  of  the  enactment  cannot  be  mis- 
understood, and  the  result  will  be  regarded  with  great  interest.* 

*  Tilt'  peculiaritii'.s  of  the  Iiuliiin  cliaviU'ter,  and  the  special  re(itiiieiiieiitsof  the  .semi- 
eivilized  oondition  in  Canada,  appear  to  create  ainon<r  the  Indians  sentiments  and 
o]»inions  sehh>n  avowed,  Imt  wliich  were  admirably  expressed  l»y  Ca[»tain  I3rant,  who, 
in  one  of  liis  letters,  said  : 

'•Yonr  letter  came  safe  to  hand.  To  give  yon  entire  satisfaction,  I  nnist,  I  )»erceive, 
enter  into  the  discnssion  of  a  subject  on  which  I  have  often  Ihonj^ht.  My  tiionj;ht8 
AS'ere  my  own,  and  beinj;'  so  dilterent  from  the  ideas  entertained  amoni>' yonr  jieople,  I 
should  certainly  have  carried  them  with  me  to  the  «;rave  had  I  not  received  your 
oblif>in<>'  favor. 

"Yon  ask  me,  then,  whether  in  my  ojtiniou  civiliziitiou  is  favorable  to  human  happi- 
ness. In  answer  to  the  question  it  may  be  answered  that  there  are  dej^recs  of  civiliza- 
tion, from  cannibals  to  the  most  polite  of  European  nations.  The  ([uestiitn  is  not, 
then,  whether  a  de;»;re(!  of  refinen>ent  is  not  conducive  to  happiness,  )»ut  whether  you 
or  the  natives  of  this  la'jd  have  attained  this  happy  medium.  On  this  subject  we  are 
at  present,  I  presiuue,  of  very  ditt'ereut  opinions.  You  will,  however,  all(»w  me  in 
sonu'  resju'cts  to  have  had  the  advanta>>e  of  y<»u  in  forminji;  my  sentinu'Uts.  1  was,  sir, 
b(un  of  Indian  ])arents,  and  lived  whih'  a  child  among  those  whom  you  are  pleased  to 
call  savages.  I  was  afterwards  sent  to  live  among  the  white  people,  and  ediu-ated  at 
one  of  your  schools,  since  which  period  I  have  been  honored  nnicli  bey«»nd  my  deserts 
by  an  ac(puiintance  with  a  nuud)er  of  principal  characters  both  in  Europe  and  America. 
After  all  this  experience,  and  after  every  exert icui  to  divest  myself  of  jtrejudice,  I  am 
obliged  to  give  my  opinion  in  favor  of  my  own  peojde.  I  will  now,  as  much  as  I  am 
able,  c(dlect  togetlier  and  set  befiu'e  you  some  of  the  reasons  that  have  intluenc(>d  my 
Judguu'ut  on  tlie  subject  now  before  us.  In  the  governnuMit  you  call  civilized,  the 
happiness  of  tlie  people  is  constantly  sacrificed  to  the  sph'udor  of  eiii])ire.  Hence  your 
codes  of  crime  ami  civil  laws  have  had  their  origin  ;  hence  your  dungeons  and  jtrisons. 
I  will  not  enlarge  on  an  idea  so  singular  in  civilized  life,  and  perhaps  disagreeable  to 


^T 


MANAOEMEiit  ofr  iitbU^S  IM  BkiftSit  AMi1r16A. 


The  four  acts  have  evidently  been  based  on  the  conviction  that  if  the 
Indians  were  indiscriminately  permitted  to  alienate  or  convey  the  lands 
they  own  as  occnpants,  many  of  them  wonld  soon  be  reduced  to  a  state 
of  panperism,  while  others  might  safely  be  trusted  with  the  same  rights 
of  i>roprietorship  as  the  whites  now  possess.  Individual  character 
asserts  its  peculiarities  of  strength  or  weakness  among  the  Indians  in 
as  marked  a  manner  as  among  any  people  in  the  world.  Industry,  abil- 
ity, and  integrity  are  strongly  developed  in  many  members  of  every 
tribe ;  and  tliese  traits,  like  other  similarities,  are  to  a  considerable 
extent  hereditary  in  certain  families.  Hitherto  the  original  system  of 
governuiCMit  by  the  Indians  themselves,  as  well  as  the  policy  adopted 
towards  them,  has  tended  to  maintain  the  improvident  as  well  as  the 
careful  and  industrious,  to  check  the  accumulation  of  Avealth  in  the 
bands  of  individuals,  as  well  as  to  prevent  the  extreme  of  poverty. 
Those  who  are  impatient  of  the  slow  progress  made  towards  civiliza- 
tion will  sec  reason  to  moderate  their  ardor  when  they  retlect  upon  the 
long  lapse  of  the  many  centuries  through  which  our  own  race  has 
attained  its  present  pre-eminence. 

A  suggestion  has  lately  been  made  to  the  Canadian  government,  and 
is  said  to  be  under  its  consideration,  that,  for  one  generation,  the  In- 
dians, or  some  of  them,  sliould  be  allowed  to  sell  land,  but  oidy  among 
themselves.  It  has  been  thought  they  would  thus  by  saft>  degrees  be 
further  initiated  into  habits  of  forethought  ami  thrift.  Even  this  in- 
termediary i)roposal  seems  liable  to  serious  objections,  unless  accom- 
panied by  various  restrictions,  such  as  that  no  contract  for  sale  of  real 
estate  should  be  binding  unless  made  before  the  visiting  sui)erinten- 
dant  of  the  district  where  the  land  is,  and  renewed  at  a  time  when  am- 
ple opportunity  has  been  given  for  reflection.  To  this  might  be  added 
an  adequate  legal  scrutiny  into  the  sufficiency  of  the  consideration  or 
purchase  money  given  and  received  for  the  land,  and  into  some  other 
circumstances  attendant  on  the  transaction. 

The  Canadian  commissioners  of  IS.IS  stated,  as  one  of  the  results  of 
their  inijuiries,  that  they  were  unable  to  discover  any  reason  why  the 
Indians  should  not  in  time  take  their  place  among  the  rest  of  the  popu- 
lation in  Canada.  A  laborious  arid  impartial  investigation,  conducted 
with  the  benelit  of  their  observations  and  the  additional  data  of  the 
last  twelve  years,  has  led  me  also  to  the  conclusion  that  altliough  the 
Indians  cannot  be  suddenly  transformed  from  their  original  condition 
of  savage  hunters  to  that  of  farmers  and  mechanics,  they  are  capable 
of  civilization,  and  that  the  well-directed  and  persistent  eiforts  nnule  in 
Canada  have  been  so  far  successful  as  to  leave  little  room  for  doubt 
that  their  future  triumph  will  be  complete.  AVliatever  may  be  the  ulti- 
mate result,  those  who  have  aided  in  this  honorable  effort  may  safely 
be  assured  that  their  country  will  be  known  in  history  as  having  striven 
to  do  justi(;e  to  the  aborigines,  whom  the  white  man  found  in  posses- 

you,  nnd  will  only  observe  that  auionfj;  uh  we  have  no  prisons ;  wv  have  no  pompons 
parade  of  courts ;  we  have  no  written  laws;  and  yet  jnd}j;es  are  as  hi<>hly  revered 
anion^  ns  as  they  are  among  you,  and  their  (h-cisions  are  as  nineh  regarded. 

"  Property,  tt)  say  the  least,  is  as  well  guarded,  and  crimes  as  impartially  punished. 
We  have  among  ns  no  splendid  villains  above  the  control  of  our  laws.  Daring  wicked- 
ness is  here  never  suffered  to  triumph  ov(?r  helpless  innocence.  The  estates  of  widows 
and  orphans  are  never  devoured  by  enteri)rising  sharp(;rs.  In  a  word,  we  have  no 
robbery  under  the  cohu-  of  law.  No  person  among  us  desires  any  other  reward  for  per- 
forming a  bravt^  and  worthy  action  but  the  consciousness  of  having  served  his  nation. 
Our  wise  men  are  called  fathers  ;  they  truly  sustain  that  character.  They  an^  always 
accessible — [  will  not  say  to  the  meanest  of  our  peojde,  for  we  have  none  mean  but 
such  as  render  themselves  so  by  their  vices." 


11  shed, 
ickod- 
itlows 
ivo  no 
)r  per- 
ation. 
Iways 
II  but 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IK   BRITISH   AMERICA. 


3sr 


non  of  it,  and  that  they  have  so  far  founded  their  empire  or  dominion 
upon  the  principles  of  humanity  and  true  civilization. 
All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 
Your  obedient  servant, 

F.  N.  BLAKE, 

United  States  Consul.^ 
Hon.  Hamilton  Fish, 

Secretary  of  State. 


Appendix  A. — The  Indian  population  of  Canada. 

The  Indian  and  negro  population  of  Canada  are  not  specifically  enumer- 
ated as  such  in  the  ordinary  decennial  census,  but  are  included  under 
other  heads,  according  to  nativity,  &c.  All  the  tabular  statements  I 
have  found  on  the  subject  show  a  general  increase.  The  following  shows 
the  total  number  of  certain  tribes  in  Canada,  at  different  periods  from 
1827  to  1857 : 


Upper  Canada. 


1838 6,643 

1844 6,874 

1846 8,  756 

1847 8,862 

1857 9,094 


Lower  Canada. 


1827 3,649 

1837 3,575 

1844 3,787 

1852 4,0.18 

1857 4,396 


In  1857  the  Indian  census,  including  settled  and  migratory  tribes,  and 
tribes  not  within  reach  of  the  missionaries,  gave  the  following  numbers 
of  this  people : 

Settled  Indians  in  Upper  Canada 9, 094 

Settled  Indians  in  Lower  Canada • 4, 326 

Nomadic  tribes  visiting  north  shore  of  Lake  Huron 1, 422 

Nomadic  tribes  visiting  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior 1, 240 

Nomadic  tribes  of  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence,  not  within  reach  of 

missionaries  or  agents  (as  estimated) , 1, 000 

1857.— Total ........!..... 19, 052 

1868. — As  by  annexed  statement,  exclusive  of  Nova  Scotia  and 

New  Brunswick 20,612 

H.  Mis.  Doc.  35 3 


rrr 


MANAOEMKNT  OP  INblANS  IN  BRITISH  AMERICA. 


Conqntratirc  statement  of  the  population  of  the  different  Indian  irilws  and  hands  throu^gltoul 

Canada,  between  the  years  18C7  and  1808. 


Naiiif  of  tribe  or  Imixl. 


rUOVIXt'E  OK  ONTAItlO.  ! 

(IhipjM'WiiH  1111(1  MniiHPf's  of  iluy  TliaiiicA 

AIoraviaiiH  of  tin*  Tliaiiit'H 

Wyaiidotts  of  Aiidfi'iloii 

("hiii]M'waH,  I'ottawatoiiiics.  ami  Ottawas  of  ; 

^^  alpolo  Islam! 

ChipjM'waH  of  Siiakt^  iMlaiul 

I  )o.  Kama  

Do.  Chi'iHtian  Islfiiul  ! 

MiHsiKHaKuaHofltic*',  Mii(l,aiulSkn.u;o<rLakoH  ; 

Moliawkn  of  bay  of  Qiiiiiti'; ! 

MinMissa^juns  «>t'  Alnwi<'k i 

OJibwa.vH  of  Samly  Island 

(.'bipiM'was  of  Saiiyiecii i 

Do.         Caitc  ('n»(»k<'r [ 

('hristiaii  Islaml  Itaiiil  on  Mauitoulin  Island. .; 

Six  Nation  Indians  of  the  (iraiid  Kivcr ; 

Mississa^iins  (late  of  tho  Itivcr  Credit,  now  ; 

on  1  lie  ( irand  Iti ver) 

(ybij>l»e\v,is  of  Lake  Siiiiei'ior 

l)o.  Lake  Iliii'on ' 

Manitonlin  Island  Indians , 

(itdden  Lake  Indians,  in  theConntyof  IJeiifrew 

riiovi.\(  r.  UK  <j(KMi:c.  j 


Po]Milation    Population 


Iro(|iiiiis  of  Sanlt  Ste.  L)nis 

I»<>.        St.  Ui^iiin 

Nipissiiii^s,   Al^(ai(|uins.  and  Iroi|iiois  of  the 
Lake  of  Two  Mountains 

Kiver  Desert  Indians 


Alienakis  of  St.  Fraii(jois-du-Lae 

Do.         IJeeaneonr 

Hurons  of  Lorette 

.\nialaeites  of  Vijjer 

Mieinacs  tif  I{esli;r,)HelH)    

Do.         Maria 

M(inta"nais  of  Point  Dlen  and  Cliieoutinii. 

I)  >.  Mosie  and  Sev»'U  Lslands. . . 

Do.  ISetsianiits 

Do.  (Jrand  ("asra))ediac 

Do.  Iliver  (iodbout 

\asl\a)>as  of  tlie  Lower  St.  Lawrence 


I'ltovixci;  OK  xov.v  scotia. 


Indians  of  .\nna])olis 


Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


("idcliestei 
("lunlierland  ... 

Dij-lty 

«Jnvsbiironj;li  .. 

Halifax 

Hants 

Kinjis , 

Liinen1)nr<r 

Pietou.... 

(,)ueens 

Sbelltnrno 

Antiy;oni.sU 

Yarnioutli 

Cape  Breton  ... 

Inverness 

Itiebniond 

A'ietoria 


in  IHiiT. 


a.'il 
:i 

130 

IWi 

282 
()(i4 
212 
174 

steo 
:j.V2 

71 

2,  77!l 

204 

i,2(i;» 

1,74?) 
I,4;»r^ 

ii;i 


1,  r>nfl 

7!>7 

:m7 


in  leOei. 


ruovixcic  OK  xr.w  niMxswK  k. 


Indians  of  Restijjonebe 

Do.  Sbediae 

Do.  Nortlninil)erland 

Do.  Indian  Village 

Do,  Indian  I'oint 

Do.  Opposite  Fredericton 

Do.  County  ( tloucoster . . . 

Do.  County  Kent 

Do.  Tobiquo 

Do.  Dorclu'stor 


tl7 
27t! 
170 
378 

li:{ 

200 

i:j7 

.V>4 
7.'> 

7:1 

2.  8(10 


Si 


oon 

2.V.J 
70 

r^04 
128 
271 
102 

302 
OKI 
108 
184 
2!»2 
34li 
73 
,  7!H) 

205 


I,  840 

1,300 

18.-) 


l.OOl 

801 

(ill 

3.">8 

2(58 

KI 

207 


,-)84 


70 

m 

7.-. 

(i."> 
100 
110 

!I0 
100 

50 
195 
110 

55 
180 

!iO 
180 

70 
1()0 
115 


00 

51 

410 

1,000 

n-2 

383 

128 

34 


18 
5 


56 


6 

6 

20 

19 


10 
12 


17 
1 

hi 


hi 
u 

Q 


K(>mark8. 


14 

6 


. !  No  rctnrn.sforld(i8. 
Do. 


198 


8 
41 


1(> 
21 


30 


■■{ 


lucroaso  cau8(5d  by 

ininiigi-ation. 
Kcturns  not  reliablo. 

No  returns  for  ISfiS, 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


hrou^hont 


narki*. 


usfoil8('>('. 


!  caused  by 
gi'ation. 
ibt  reliable. 

ns  for  ims. 


MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS    IN    BRITISH    AMEKICA. 

5 

1 

» 
1 

JJSSgJ.^???5SS  : 

?^'»?S522i:?SSS?gS5SS2i'2sSj^!:; 

:!:1??S? 

"^1 

3;552jx«22?{S  :|i::*-S2!5'»'-^?,?{'-''-Z!5S=:5S*?}i2S;}||2|f 

"Si.! 

;s                                                              c:f    •«'- 

£ 

«2 

SS-'fSiJi^ssa  ;«slu?;s2»s*!22=sr.!5SSs?i;:iSi:gs*|So;5 

\y<                                                AY-K  "A'^ 

: !  ■  ■ ;  :ir  1  i : !  i  • 

'• 

:  ;  ;  : 

s 

.,'...   .'Cz   .'.',  ^    ,   ', 

' 

•  I  •  • 

• 

"3  ; 

:  ;  :  :  :  ;-^.|j  ::•=:: 

'■ 

i    •    !    ! 

^ 

y 

, 

'^^ 

;  ;  i  :  ii^Ii:  :  :E  ;  ; 

; 

s 

' 

S 

!  ;  ;  •  i|||'=  :j|  •  ; 

■ 

•c 

1 

3     I 

^ 

tt 

• 

1     I 

■*-S^'^     ■"3'^ 

•    >    •    1 

•% 

• 

w  s  jj  S     '  ?■  S' 

• 

t 

1    1  X  2 ,»».  .=    !  5-  -    !    I 

<*» 

!   Irs"-"  _•"   !  s  a  ;   ; 

2 

; 

j-'     . 

;::::=§  =  a  :ri  :  : 

•    ;    ;    ; 

w 

'5 

iZ—  >.~    •*--"    •    . 

■^ 

^ 

X' 

C 

; 

■ 

i*     1 

_  ■•*•  i  >;     ■  ■=  2     '     ' 

•     ■  •  •  =  .-'?=  '"Si  •  • 

;    ;    ;    !  C  t;  ^  '/J    la...!    1 

; 

:  :  ;  : 

•^ 

' 

_2 

c 

•^ 

•  ■  ;  :5"v  -  ■'  !  ?  i''  :  : 

' 

•s 

>, 

c  : 

;. :  ii^i^lili-sir-: 

; 

. '    !    !    I 

5 

is 

^ 

1  : 

■"       '  i-     .1  ■>-  *"  5!  .i  o  s'.:i 
•r       '.'-i      a  s  r?  —  -      -  2    : 

; 

•     ;    ;    ; 

S 

1 

: 

•  4*   •    •  a 

^1 

Sod 

^ 

d'= 

=1  ill  ;-^^f  liiftij 
—  : ;,  ■*  ;  I  s  "5  i:  ■$  r  ,=  r.  •:: 

•7 

>. 

♦- 

:-/|  ;a 

II 

^ 

5  ^ 

r  ^ 

Ti~ 

3, 

2  ,.2  , 

—  »i 

^ 

"5 
1 

K      ' 

3I3  i- 

*"   0 

S"? 

ci     1  S3  .*"     •  ^^  '^  **  s  r"  ST        .*"  w 

j; 

J!  ""      , 

1  i'l.  1    '■  5 

^■^ 

5^ 

^-  :y  r  :^-ir-f  >  r.^^-^j^ 

U 

>.  ^      . 

■  .--r  :  :: 

;^ 

2  2 

X     \  "^  '{'     I  -.  ^  Ci  ^  ?;  •  |,  "^  2 

?• 

^'^ 

?5|  i 

M 

t-  5 

iSfiiiiio  :  :§i§i§§§i§iiii§i  =  ii§Siif  §  p  =^'§ 

:2  =  =  S25S=    :    :  =  =  =  S2.2  =  i?lr,2?  =  ?SS  =  =  =  2  =  2  =  22'^'i*2 

p 

|S2 

^1 

^^-^ 

'^■^i 

;  s  si  5}  s  -.  r.  r.  ?.  :  :  ii  U  'ji  r.  s  ij  U  ^5 :; '  •  li  sj :» ;;  r.  s  r.  s  ;=  ;=  n  ?  =  -=  j=  ^  ^  ^, 

:  :  : 

:  :  ;  :  :  ii  :  :  ;  i  :  i 

^ 

«K.  a 

1     '     ,'     ,     1     )   —     '     '     1     '     1     J 

•H 

:  i  : 

:  :  :  :  :  I'T  ;  :  :  :  :  I 
:  :  :  :  :  :.|  ;  :  ;  :  ;  ; 

'  ji  i  '  ! 

.2*- 

39 

I 

; 

7 
7 

>  ?  ^ 

7 

^ 

:3  i  :  !  i'^  :  :  :  ;  ;  : 
i"^  ■:•■:;  y^  ;:::;  ; 

:  =  ? 

2 

x  « 

it 

"a?  a  : 

'  "^    !    !    . 

Sail: 

tit 

r.'  <-  i  2  -  IT  ~  -  ^'   '"  ~  ''-■"  5    •  —  '-.-  =  r    •  =  -« ■:i  rr  -r  i-:  -^  i-  t  ri    •    .    •  ^    .•    ■  T" 

JS 

r.  r  s    ;  t;  ^  -"  ^  -  f  ~  2  "-=  -  ■^  ~  -:-■-•-.•-.•-■-•--•  f  ^  ;*♦-  i.  f  s 

1 

*  -  •<  >-j  ?*  f^  ^ ' 

i;^?^  ;?.j;^i:;w;5i?C;:'^-:i'-;£>',x,>^;^.<^<;<;^j^;^«5i3s:;^;5-^ 

^ 

"§ 

_     1 

I  "x 

« 

•"1     ' 

S 

•f.     ' 

:  3 

.2 

il 

jLk 

'ZZ      '< 

'  0 

o 

£ 

• 

f^    ' 

i-'i' 

■^  tt 

^ 

«> 

'T 

,'•     • 

*S 

« 

s 

^^ 

!   1  ;   !   i   i   i  ;   1   1   ;  !  ;   .'   1 

ii'a  ^"B 

^ 

'^ 

§ 

T    I 

j^.,..-.......* 

•=  re  S  r3 

•^ 

•»■« 

3 

> 

S. 

5  ? 

ri  "ir'f 

^ 

; 

1 

1 

•r   K-S 

■f  5 

i^'^Ti-Sji^  :6'';:=Z.  \J: 

CC^?- 1 

i1- 

8 

9^ 

1  c 

c 

=  3  -  "c  : 
*  i  i  X.L 

.2    ?r 

-/■ 

.5 

L.      .^              '     ijj    »^      +J 

jl 

s''S'e'"=-'rr';-^  :^.'  :7'r  ;.- 

llllllf 

1-^ 

tc  «  iS  '^  *  "o 

1  *-<-* 

.   0 

:  a 

aaaa«*«x    ■"    ...-s    .— 

a  a  a  a.i:.2^ 

te 

1 

if" 

3?! 

ir.  n  X  d  .Z7— .-  .S"     -;      —  i. 

a  a 

■Ij 

^•^ 

1 

a 
a 


a 
O 


■s    a 


a    f' 


uu 


MAWAujsMENT  OF  IMDUNH  IN  UUmHH  AUESIQA. 


1 

I 

o 


a 


'S4 


3d     '    ^»^^  :!;S)^?iiS3;  : 


^>^ 


'.?,  issi'sii  : 


e  93 

0 


o  o 

a  a 


£ 


3 

I 


^  fr-  s 

n  E  S 


•'""""'"^^ 

I  1  1  I  !  >.  ;  I  .' 

i  :  i  i  :^  i  :  i 


i  :l 
•  'J 

■  :ei 

:  a 

>   ..a 

;   o 

;  ;'« 

',  a 
.   ;^ 

1  '"3 

;  '••^ 

'•   •'  S 

:  :& 
:=§ 


<   > 


;i 

•  •a 


a'V& 


a 


s  ^   '   '  a 

MM     .      .M 


:   ;  -fc  a   ;  i  = 
;  l^a  :.5a 

"3  -  *'  s-s*^  a 

B.2  a  -  a  HM 

■«    :  H  a'S  S  a 

a    '  tf  ^  "■  **  ^ 

.2   ;  cs  <S  =  J: « 


sJIJssggsss 


.25 

J3 


.2 


'A 


;  ?  5  = 


»—  .^  "  w  .^     -.'IS  ■■■  (•  ^^«  w 

^r  .*"  Id  ^  ■■  ""  ^  ^  5*  ^    ■■ 


\  I 


'^ 


I 


M 


a 

C3 


'  ^ 

•  s 

•  ^^ 

;&  ;; 

•      ■      '      t 

'    ,, 

.  -^     ' 

■  rt  X  s 

iria 

I  GUI 

^2-^i 
'<»-«<= ' 

M^7 

-.2.5;i5 

"  s  5  5"^ 

£  2  a  S 
t"  a  ?  et 

•^^ 

— •  "^  z. 

•r  C~  « 

p.:^ 

££5 

mi 

MANAGEMENT   OF   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 

Appendix  V. 

The  foUowinj^  is  instructive  to  those  who  wish  to  iiivestijfate,  for  prju;- 
tieal  purposes,  tlie  subject  of  the  report: 

/flatfincnt  of  HjHviot  paiimcntii,  vontiugvnt  and  incidental  fxpnidiliiir  bif  t'le  Indian  Branch, 
(Department  of  the  Heeretarii  of  State,)  dnriny  the  year  ending  June  'M),  1H()H,  out  of  Upper 
Canada  Indian  fundn. 


Station,  snporintcii- ' 
(Utiicy,  or  iliviHioii. 


<  "liiiracter  of  ilisl>iii'rt(>iii)-iitt«. 


HemlfiuarttTs. 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 


Do 

D(. 

Do 


Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 


Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


I'ostnK*' 

illaiiktts 

I'ch'jji'aniM 

Survey 

HoailH 

IN'iiHioncrs 

(rrantA  towanlH  the  fri'ctioii  of  srliool- 

llOIIMC.M. 

Law  cxiM'iiMCH  ami  N])<<cial  work 

Stationery,    Iiooks,    liiiiiliii;;,  itriiiliii;;, 

anil  inNtriinuMitH,  Sn\* 
iToscpli   Wilson,   aH  coniiniHttioni'r  lor 

till!  jn-oti-rtion  of   Iniiian  lanil  anil 

visiting!  ri'si'rvi'N. 

(Jrattiity  to  Henry  John  Jone.n 

Ailvertininfi 

Otlice  furniture,  and  repairs  anil  ilis- 

liurHenients. 
C.  T.  Dn])ont'.»*    traveling  expenses  in 

visitinji  Parry  Islanil,  Lake  Xepi]iion, 

Lake  SujM'rior,  &e. 
Traveling  ixpenses  of  siek  Iniliaus,&c. 
Ottiee  rent  for  the  ajjenev 


Amount 
pniil. 


937  59 

1,  ir)7  4:j 

»w  la 

2,  (M)8  71 
a,  •Mi,')  50 

400  00 
:),'>o  00 

'i"  II 
I,'j:i5  H) 

104  !)5 


too  00 

7  17 

:)04  a4 

:W7  ."50 


Do 

Do 

\Ve.stern     supei'in- 
tenUenev. 
Do...' 


(.'onimission 

Islanil. 
Plans 


on  .sales  on    Manitonlin 


H.  Strong's  professional  services,  &c  . . . 
J'ostage 


:I7  7.-I 
W  10 

158  ;w 

1)3  25 

iiOO  00 

1  40 


Do.. 
Do., 
Do.. 
Do.. 
Do.. 
Do.. 
Do.. 
Do.. 
Do.. 


Pensioners  t 100  00 

Siirvev 1      400  OO 

Distri1)iitioii ,5,  57!)  70 


Funeral  articles. 
^Meilieines  and  attendance 

Hooks  

Collins 

ChajM'l  stewiud 

Messenger. ' 


i  D!)  70 

IIH  83 

10  74 

48  25 

25  00 

10  00 

liefnnils 2,  191  00 


Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

D(K 

Do. 
Do. 

Do. 

Do. 


f 'cntral  and  Kasfrn 
suiu'riutendencv. 

Do '.. 

Do 

■'       Do 


Do. 
Do. 


I'ostage 

Distriltution 

Postage  . . . .' 

Distri  lint  ion 

Interest  lialance 

Cotlins 

Pensioners 

(-liurch  repairs 

I'ostage 

ISonus  on  oil  workings 

Advertising 

Distribution 

Postage 

Distribution 

Annual  allowance  in  resjieet  to  claims 

on  oil  lands  in  Enniskillen. 
Annual  allowance  in  res|)ect  to  claims 

on  oil  lands  in  Enniskillen. 
Annual  allowam-e  in  respect  to  claims 

on  oil  lands  in  Enniskillen. 
"W.  15.  ISartletfs  otHcc  contingencies... 

Distribution 

Forest  baililt' 

Insurance  upon  the  Mohawks'  church 

and  parsonage. 
Distrilnition 


Disti'iltution. 


.".0 

1,  ,5,)2  07 

I  80 

:),  043  24 

00  23 

17  00 

30  00 

15  00 

7  8i» 

f^O  00 

5  70 

.5,  4!!C.  32 

0  20 

2,342  17 

101  110 

70  43 

127  37 

270  98 

4,090  81 
95  00 
39  40 

1,  389  92 

2,  388  32 


This  comprises  stationei'y  supplied  to  outside  agencies. 


Oi  t  of  what  fund  |)aid. 


Indian  land  management,  fund. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Do. 

Do. 


Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 


Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

i  Do. 

Do. 
I  riiipjunvas  of  Saniiii. 

Do. 
Do. 
i  Do. 

i  Do. 

I  Do. 

'  Do. 

Do. 
j  Do. 

Do. 
I  Ottawas  and  Ojibewas  of  Man 
itonlin  Islands. 
Chii>i)ewas  of  Walpole. 

Do. 
(.'hii)pewas  of  thi^  Thames 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Moravians  of  liie  ThaiiK^H. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Vt'vandotts  of  .\nderdoii. 

Do. 
Win.  Wabbnck. 

Jas.  Manace. 

Xaiicv  Maiville. 

Indian  land  iiianageiiient  I'liml. 

ilohawks  of  Hav  of  Quiiite. 
Do. 
Do. 

(..'hippewas  of  Lake  Iliiron  and 

Simcoe. 
Mi8sis.saguas  of  Uice  and  Mud 

Lakes. 

t(,-harged  to  principal. 


35  MANAGEMENT   OP   INDIANS   IN   BRITISH   AMERICA. 

C. — Statement  of  special  payments,  <)'-c. — Continued. 

St.ntioii,  HiipeTiiitvii-  \ 


deucy,  or  diviniou. 


("liaracttT  of  disbursemonts. 


('eiitTiUandF'rrt'rn  i  Medical  norviooH. 
HHiterintiMidcncy.  i 

I)o '.J  Distribution 

Do I  Distribution 

I»o i  Distrilmtion 

Do 1  Advortisinjj; 


Amount 
paid. 


$36  00 

444  20 
•.i,  747  XJ 

•i,  134  :k 

VM  70 


Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

(Jrand  Kivor  supcr- 
int<'ndt'ncv. 

Do ■; 


Tcnsioncrs  : 7")  00 

Distribtition |  7,647  75 

Traveling  t'xp»^nsi's '  I  85 

Itpfuud i  B  73 

Advertising 140  11 

Improvonnsnts I      103  00 

I'ensionoi's i        75  00 

Distribution 9,405  !W 

Traveling  expenses i         4  85 

Kefund i  8  73 

I'ensioners 250  00 


her 


Do. 

Do. 
Do. 
!)(.. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 


Nortliern    sui«*i'iii- 
tentlenev. 

Do...: 

Do 

('oriiwall    sii]>erin- 
fendcnev. 

Do...". 


.Allowanco  for  tbo  celebration  of 
-Majesty's  birthday. 

Losses  by  fire 

J.  T.  (iilkison's  eoutingeneies 

Advertising 

Law  ('X])enses 

Distribution 

Assistance  to  sick  Indians,  and  medi- 
cines. 

Cliief,  board  bill  attending  ('ouncils  . .. 

Insurance  

Traveling  exi»eiise8  of  3  sick  Indians  . 

I  Vnsioners 

J.  T.  (Jilkistm's  contingencies 

Insurance  upon  .saw-mill i 

Distribution I  4, 

Postage ! 

Sundry  bills  apnroved  by  tho  tribe  in  ; 
council  and  allowed  by  the  superin-  j 
tendent  general.  ■ 

]>istributi<ui ■ 


.1 


470 

321 

.33 

"2 

3f).271 

!IS 

100 
12 
.55 

1.50 
45 
27 

203 
3 

1*10 


I'erceiitage  ujioti  receiiitsaiid  distribu- 
tion money  allowed  to  S.  Colnuhoune. 


Out  of  what  fund  paid. 


131  00 


42  .58 


l{(>lief  and  supftlies t      200  00 

Distribution j      203  20 

Distribution 2. 1.50  03 


105  90 


Mississaguas  of  liice.  and  Mud 

Lakes. 
Mississaguas  of  Skugng. 
Misaissaguas  of  Alnwick. 
Cliippewas  of  Kama. 
Cliippewas  of  Saugeon  and 
Owen  Sound. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Cliippewas  of  Nawash. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Six  Nations  of  the  Credit. 

Do. 

SixXations  of  the  Grand  liiver. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Mississaguas  of  the  Credit. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


Chief  Tetomoiiiasundhis  baud. 

Ojibevras  of  Lake  Huron. 

Do. 
Iroquois  n!"  St.  IJegis. 

Do. 


I 


id. 


ilMuU 


n  auil 


Iiiv<;r. 


It. 


l)auij. 


